Mobile suit gundam AI partner
by 6-4 pilot
Summary: During the development of the Project V prototypes, the Federation government allowed the implementation of an artificial intelligence into the mobile suits, something never done before. Can this new feature help bring the war to a closer end?
1. Chapter 1

**Ever since playing Titanfall 2, I always wondered why no faction in the UC Gundam universe ever implemented an AI into a mobile suit like a Titan. So, I decided to make a story about what would happened if Amuro's original Gundam had a fully functional AI in it's systems.**

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Tem Ray was humming to himself as he made new calculations for the project V prototypes. After making a new set of calculations, the door to his office opened to reveal a Federation officer.

"Yes?" Asked Tem Ray as he wondered if he should be satisfied with these calculations or make a new one. The Federation officer just coughed before giving Tem Ray a folder. After opening it, Tem was surprised to see a dossier of a engineer.

"What is this?" Asked Tem as he read the dossier. The man's name was Johnathan Whitley. 48 years old and has a degree in…AI development? "May I ask why an AI specialist is coming into project V?"

"To be frank, the vote for the addition of the engineering was really close. Many believed the idea of adding an AI to the mobile suits would be too expensive, while others thought it would turn the tide to our favor." Explained the officer. "In the end, the one's favoring the inclusion of AI into the mobile suits won and doctor Whitley has been transferred to your team. I hope that this won't be any trouble for you, Mr. Ray." Tem just went into thought. While the inclusion of AI may drastically prolong the development of the prototypes, it could also greatly increase the performance of their pilots, who never piloted such enormous machine before.

"It won't be a problem, sir." Said Ray. "I'm just concerned that the inclusion of AI will drastically prolong the project to unacceptable levels. That and the cost for the development of an AI for each."

"Doctor Whitley has assured us that he already has the basis for an AI ready to go and said that he'll be able to install one in just a few weeks." Said the officer. "He just needs your teams help to accelerate the process."

"Well, if he's that capable, then I have no problem with this." Said Ray. "Just set up a meeting with him as soon as possible."

"He's right outside, sir." Said the officer before letting doctor Whitley inside. Upon seeing the man, Ray saw that the man was balding in some areas and was holding a book, likely notes for the inclusion of AI. The man sat down before offering his hand.

"Greeting, doctor Ray." Said Whitley. "My name is Johnathan Whitley. I hope that we will have a good working relationship in the near future." Ray just took the hand.

"As do I." Said Ray as they shook. After taking back his hand, Tem Ray wondered if this will be worth the effort.

* * *

 **Few weeks later**

* * *

Tem Ray and doctor Whitley were currently working on installing the newly created AI into the Gundam prototype. As Whitley was finishing installing the AI, Ray went into thought about Whitley and his contributions to the project. He had to admit, the man was a bit too naïve for his age. He proclaimed that the AIs that they created should be treated like sentient beings, despite having no emotions and are just cold, calculating machines. He caught the man treating the one made for the Gundam like a new born. With kindness and compassion. It made him a bit sick, honestly. But he couldn't deny the efficiency of the man. Assignments that would take members of his teams weeks to accomplish would be completed in days of Whitley. Though he said that it was because of the assistance of the AIs, rather than his own individual skill. And the man was pleasant enough. Honestly, he would rather take his company over the company of some Federation officers. After Whitley installed the AI, he began to boot up the mobile suit.

"Okay, Vega. Take it slow. We don't want to damage anything in Side 7 or expose this top secret project." Said Whitley as he communicated with the AI through a terminal. As if the AI understood, it complied with the doctor's wishes and took it slow, getting up with a bit of caution, trying to get the feel of it's new body. As Tem Ray watched in amazement, the AI slowly stood up before doing some basic movements. After completing these tasks, the test pilot got into the cockpit and began to move the mobile suit by himself. As they watched, the two doctors began to speak to each other.

"You think that the pilot will accept having an AI in the cockpit?" Asked Ray.

"It ultimately depends on the individual, doctor Ray." Said Whitley. "The AI is there in case the pilot needs some extra help or is incapacitated. Should that happen, the AI will take over and try to either fought the enemy, get the pilot to safety, or both. As for assistance, it'll help with aiming the weapons and power regulations, things that can surely determine if a pilot lives or dies."

"Agreed." Said Ray as they watched the Gundam perform basic combat functions with the beam sabers. Eventually, Ray called of the tests and got to work on possible adjustments to the Gundam. As he was doing so, a Federation officer, a young man, walked up to the two men.

"Mr. Ray." Said the officer. "I just received confirmation that the White Base is arriving soon."

"That's great news." Said Ray as the two men turned to the young officer.

"They're here early." Said Whitley as the three men walked away from the test zone. "This is both good and bad news."

"Pardon?" Asked the young officer.

"It's bad because we only managed to install the AI for the Gundam." Explained Whitley. In order to save time, the team focused on developing an AI for just the Gundam. The rest were put on hold because of the advanced nature of the Gundam over the other prototypes. "The others don't have their AIs developed or installed yet."

"Relax." Said Ray. "We'll be able to do so when we get them to Jaburo or a more secure facility."

"I hope so." Said Whitley as the three walked. "What about your son? Will you be planning to spend some time with him before leaving?"

"Well." Said Ray. "We're not that close and he can take care of himself."

"That may be true." Said Whitley, remembering the brief visits he had with Ray's son. Reclusive, but a nice boy. "But you should still make an effort to bond with him. Too many fathers have failed as a parent because they didn't spend enough time with their children. Do you wish that to happen with you and your boy?"

"Of course not." Said Ray. "But I want him to live in a war-free war. At least for awhile before the next one happens."

"Just make an effort, Ray." Said Whitley as they walked away.

* * *

 **Later**

 **White Base**

* * *

Whitley was placing his notes and equipment away in the room that the White base crew had given to him when he heard the alarms go off.

"We're under attack!?" Yelled Whitley before running to the command deck. Upon arriving, he immediately went to the captain. "What is going on?" The captain, a man named Paolo, answered him.

"Zeon Zakus had snuck into Side 7, sir." Said Paolo with regret. "The White Base was pursued by a single Musai-class cruiser while on transit here. I thought that we lost them. It appears I was wrong."

"Our forces are not sufficient enough to defeat the Zakus. We must retrieve the prototypes. They're our only chance!" Said Whitley.

"I understand, sir, I already sent all combat personal to retrieve them." Said Paolo. Whitley then came up with an idea.

"I have an idea captain that may turn the tide of this battle to our favor." Said Whitley. Seeing the captain looking at him, he continued. "Shortly before this attack, I installed an AI into the Gundam prototype. I should be able to activate the AI and get it to fight the Zakus. With your permission, of course." Captain Paolo just hummed in thought before speaking.

"Is this AI capable of defeating the Zakus without damaging Side 7 beyond repair?" Asked Paolo.

"It may or may not. It ultimately depends on the pilots of the Zakus, but I'm afraid this is our best shot." Said Whitley. Paolo just sighed before giving Whitley permission. With that, Whitley went over to a terminal and began to try and establish a connection with the Gundam. As he was working, he heard the crew contacting the personal fighting the Zakus. All of which wasn't good. Gritting his teeth, Whitley managed to establish a connection to the Gundam. As he was about to activate the AI onboard, he was surprised to hear chatter about the Gundam getting up. Confused, he went over to the comm officer and spoke about him about the Gundam.

"I don't know sir." Said the officer. "One of the test pilots must be handling the thing."

"He won't stand a chance without the AI." Said Whitley, knowing that their test pilots lacked any experience with mobile suit warfare while the Zeon pilots do. "Inform him to be ready for the AI's activation."

"Can't sir." Said the officer as he tried to establish contact with the pilot. "The communication circuit must be fried."

"Must be from the attack." Whitley then swore before going over to activate the AI. Before he did so, he prayed that the pilot and AI will work together and win the battle. He then exhaled before activating the AI.

* * *

 **Amuro's POV**

* * *

Amuro was currently shaking in fear, a Zaku walking slowly to him with its machinegun at the ready, when the entire cockpit began to glow. A pop-up then showed up on the front screen to tell Amuro that the AI was activated. The eyes of the Gundam then glowed briefly before it grabbed the Zaku's gun and kicked it away, forcing Amuro to snap out of his fear. As the Zaku was sent tumbling to the ground, a text message showed up in the front screen.

" **You are not a designated test pilot for the RX-78-2 Gundam mobile suit. Identify yourself immediately."** Said the text as the Gundam used the Zaku's machinegun at it's former user as well as another Zaku, forcing both to take cover. Knowing he was in trouble, Amuro then spoke.

"I had to. People were dying!" Yelled Amuro.

" **Explain."** Said another message as the Gundam threw the now useless, machinegun at the Zakus, who were now charging at the Gundam, one with a heat hawk and the other using it's machinegun.

"These Zaku were firing on civilians." Explained Amuro, not believing he was talking with a machine. "I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I had to do something to prevent more people dying." The AI just stayed silent before speaking again.

" **Even if that means getting arrested by the Federation for taking possession of a top secret military mobile suit?"** Said another message as the Gundam was now wrestling with the melee Zaku as the other was reloading its weapon. Seeing this, the Gundam tried to open fire with the Vulcan guns, but soon realized that they were not of ammo. Seeing this, Amuro jumped into action and had the mobile suit head but the Zaku, breaking the main camera. He then piloted it to charge at the other Zaku, tackling it, forcing it the ground.

"If it means that people will be saved, yes." Said Amuro despite being scared of being placed under military arrest. The AI just stayed silent as it processed this information. As this was happening, the other Zaku got up and, using the backup camera, charged at the Gundam. Just in time to take action, the AI finished its analyses of Amuro and grabbed one of the beam saber hilts on it's backpack. Drawing it out, a beam of pink energy erupted from the hilt as soon as it came out of the backpack. The AI, then sliced the Zaku's arm before stabbing somewhere near the cockpit, killing the pilot. As the Zaku fell, the AI spoke to Amuro.

" **If what you say is true, then prove it by defeating the remaining Zaku."** Said the AI as it charged at them. **"I will provide assistance should you require it. Aim for the cockpit. Do not aim for the reactor or else…"**

"Side 7 will rupture." Finished Amuro, knowing that the Zakus were nuclear powered. Sweating a bit, Amuro got ready to use the beam saber. Taking some deep breaths, Amuro lunged out when the Zaku jumped at him, hitting a bit too close to where the engine was located. As he waited for the worse to happen, the AI had pushed the Zaku away before turning off the beam saber.

" **Excellent work.** **You've successfully defeated the Zaku."** Said the AI via text message as it walked to where the White Base. **"I advise to be prepared for a military arrest. The Federation forces will not take too kindly to a civilian taking possession of a military secret."  
**

"I know." Said Amuro. "I just hope that they'll cut me some slack for this."

 **"Unlikely."** Said the AI. Before it could elaborate why, the entire colony shook due to missiles hitting it.

"More of them?" Asked Amuro.

" **Likely a Musai light cruiser, the home base for the Zakus. It is very likely only one is out there, otherwise the Zeon forces would have sent more than this to attack us."** Said the AI before getting a call. **"Incoming transmission. We are asked to scavenge up what project V weapons and parts that survived the attack. Due to the need of preventing any Zeon forces from acquiring sensitive data from project V as well as acquiring enough data to ensure the success of the project, your military arrest is placed on hold. I will help you acquire what is salvageable."**

"Wait, you're not going to turn me in?" Asked Amuro, a bit shocked that an AI wasn't reporting this immediately.

" **Your arrest will come soon, but time is of the essence."** Said the AI as the walked to the remains of the prototype mobile suits. **"But if it will help, I will recommend you not be punished too severely as you tried to do the right thing."  
**

"Yeah, thanks." Said Amuro, a bit uneased that a machine was trying to be friendly and that it referred to itself as a person, meaning a lot of time went into making this thing. "How can you refer to yourself as a person?"

 **"My creator ensured that I have a basic personality."** Explained the AI as it scavenged the remains for useful parts and weapons. Surprisingly, the two found an intact Guntank and Guncannon. Amuro was helping out by pointing out some equipment and spare parts that could be salvageable and used later. Equipment and spare parts that the AI would have deemed unsalvageable. As they did so, the AI continued to speak. **"He believed that it would help with ensuring a partnership between an AI and a pilot."  
**

"So, how come you can't speak?" Asked Amuro as they dragged the only surviving Guntank to the White base along with some spare cannon barrels for the Guncannon.

" **The inclusion of AI into the project V mobile suits was done after the first prototypes were already made. The engineers and technicians didn't have time to include a voice box for me. While there is a speaker for outside communications, I'm unable to access it yet. I will in time."** Explained the machine as more missiles rammed into Side 7. **"May I ask your name?"**

"Sure. It's Amuro. Amuro Ray." Said Amuro as the two were getting on the space elevator. "And thanks for helping me back there." The AI stopped to process this thanks, having never heard it from someone other than doctor Whitley, before answering.

 **"You are welcome."**

* * *

 **Before I sign off, I'll like to point out a few things. First, this will follow the original anime portrayal of the event of Mobile suit Gundam with some alterations. 2nd, Whitley will not be around for too long. 3rd, bolded text will be the AI speaking while bold and italic text will be someone's thoughts.**

 **Now before I go, I like to ask a question. What do you think the reason is none of the factions in UC universe didn't implement AIs into their mobile suits, thug negating the need to train and employ pilots. My theory is that it was too expensive or no one thought it was a good idea to give such powerful weapons like mobile suits into the hands of an AI, due to distrust and paranoia on things like AIs. Write your answer in the review along with what you think of this story, ideas, and what can be done to improve.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

"Are you sure?" Asked Whitley as he held his head in disbelief.

"I'm afraid so, sir." Said a young officer by the name of Bright Noa, just under 20. "Virtually all Federation personal was either wounded or killed by the Zaku attack and the ensuing missile barrage. The situation is grim."

" ***sighs*** Any good news? I know that we have a pilot in the Gundam transporting what material from project V that survived that attack, but is there anything else?" Asked Whitley.

"No, sir." Said Bright. "I'm afraid that's all we have." Whitley then sighed to himself. He then made a tough decision.

"After the pilot has brought the remaining Guncannon and Guntank to White Base with enough parts to keep them and the Gundam combat-ready, order the pilot to destroy what's left of project V. There's just too much unaccounted-for data that the Zeons can use against us." Said Whitley.

"Understood." Said Bright, agreeing with doctor Whitley. "We have a bomb that can do the job. Will that suffice?"

"Yes." Said Whitley. "And inform the pilot I wish to speak with him after all this is over." Bright nodded before saluting and leaving. When he did, Whitley just sighed before placing his face in his cupped hands. This is a complete disaster. Everyone in the V project, aside from him, was dead. The situation was grim. Not just for the project, but for the entire Federation. If the sole surviving prototypes can't collect enough data to replicate and ensure the Federation high command with their usefulness, then the whole project V will be for nothing. As he was thinking about how to recover from this, Bright's sudden exclamation made him snap out of his thoughts, especially when he heard the name he exclaimed out.

"What!?" Yelled Bright. "That's Amuro!?"

"What?" Said Whitley before going over to Bright, who was on a communication terminal. "Amuro Ray!?" As soon as he saw the view on the cockpit of the Gundam, his body filled with shock at seeing Tem Ray's kid at the helm of the Gundam. He knew that the AI was activated prior to the defeat of the Zakus but he still couldn't believe that Amuro was in the cockpit, actually fighting the Zakus. "What are you doing in there, Mr. Ray?"

"Mr. Whitley?" Said Amuro as he looked at the communication screen. The man had visited a few times to discuss some top secret Federation secrets with his father, but had, at times, spent some time with him, helping him with some homework or pet projects of his. Needless to say, the man was on his good side, especially when he helped build Haro, his robotic companion, and praising him for his work. "You're alive? Where's my dad?" Whitley just sighed before telling Amuro what he had heard just a few minutes ago.

"I'm afraid that Tem Ray is assumed dead along with the other missing Federation officers." Said Whitley, sympathizing for the boy. He looked distraught at the news, but eventually shrugged it off, though Whitley knew that he was saddened by the news. He'll have to comfort him later. Right now, they have matters to attend to. "I know that you are hurt by this news, but I must ask you to assist us with destroying the last pieces of project V." Amuro, though still hurt from the news, looked confused.

"But why? We could make more." Said Amuro.

"If we had the time, we would ask you to help scavenge what's left, but since the Zeons are right outside the colony, we need to destroy what's left in order to prevent them from learning our secrets." Explained Whitley. Before he could explain further, the entire colony and the ship shook.

"Another missile barrage?" Said Bright as he recovered. "But why?"

"It doesn't matter." Said Whitley. "Amuro, as much as I don't want you in there, I need you to grab a bomb that's in White Base. It should be enough to destroy the everything in related to project V if placed correctly. I'll guide you to it."

"Understood. I'm coming back with a mobile suit that looks like a tank." Said Amuro. "I'll grab the bomb and destroy what's left of this project."

"Good." Said Whitley before sighing. He then began to instruct Amuro on the bomb as well as some basic piloting movements. As this was happening, Bright was going over to captain Paolo, who was severely wounded during the Zeon missile attack.

"Are you alright with this captain?" Asked Bright in concern as he looked at the captain, in a stretcher, and appears to be in a lot of pain. "A kid in the cockpit of a top secret Federation mobile suit."

"It may sound hard and illogical." Said Paolo, struggling to get the words out. "But we don't have any other choice. Besides, we had child soldiers before. This isn't really that much different. I'll allow it until we can get a proper Federation soldier to pilot the Gundam. After that, I want the kid as well as the rest of the civilians to be left alone. They don't deserve a military arrest just because an attack forced us to shelter them in the White Base."

"Understood and I agree as well." Said Bright before saluting. He then went over to their helmswoman for the White Base. A young woman by the name of the Mirai Yashima, a member of the Yashima family. As he began to instruct her on the White Base's complex systems, Whitley was talking with Amuro.

"Be careful with that, Amuro." Said Whitley. "If you drop that thing, it may cause it to explode, killing everyone here."

"Right." Said Amuro, a little nervous. "Besides, the AI is helping in carrying it. So, it's in good hands."

"Yes, but I rather be safe than sorry." Said Whitley. "I see that you are working with Vega. That's good."

"Vega? That's the AI's name?" Asked Amuro as he and the Gundam went outside to the colony.

"Yes." Said Whitley. "It's the name that I choose for him. Is he working alright for you?"

"He's okay." Said Amuro. "He's not doing anything bad and he seems okay, for an AI."

"You'll get used to it eventually." Said Whitley. "He's quite the gentleman, actually. I built him to be friendly to the pilot and to place their lives and the mission before himself. If he had to choose between himself and you, he'll do whatever he can to save you."

"Wow." Said Amuro as the duo made their way to the wreckage of project V. Before he could ask Whitley further, he suddenly gasped. With the help of the Gundam's exterior cameras, he spotted a civilian with a Zeon soldier. It looked like a standoff. Upon seeing the Federation mobile suit, the Zeon soldier flew away, using his jetpack to do so. "Mr. Whitley, I just spotted a Zeon soldier."

"What!?" Asked Bright as he approached Whitley. "Are you sure?"

"No doubt about that." Said Amuro to the stranger. He then laid the Gundam's palm next to the civilian, a young woman at around his age. "Climb aboard. I'm going to use a bomb to destroy everything here." Said Amuro, using the Gundam's speakers. As the woman was climbing on the hand, Vega suddenly 'spoke' again, using texts.

" **The bomb's blast radius will melt even the Gundam's armor. I recommend moving away at least two miles before detonating it."** Said Vega as the two were getting back to White base with the civilian in tow via an elevator that will take them to the hanger that the White base was in.

"Don't worry, Vega." Said Amuro as he aimed the rifle that Whitley had told him to get at the bomb. "We'll be safe soon." As soon as they were in minimum safe distance, which was then told by Vega, Amuro fired the rifle. Rather than a bullet, the rifle fired a concentrated beam of Minovsky particles. The particles penetrated the bomb, resulting in a burst of flames covering the wreckages of the project V prototypes that were destroyed by the Zaku attack. As the doors that lead to the White Base were opening, Vega suddenly spoke.

" **One Zeon soldier is in the vicinity."** Said Vega. Before Amuro could comment, he saw a Zeon soldier going through the opening gate. Amuro gasped before informing Bright and Whitley of the situation. As the two were scrambling to resolve the threat, Vega offered an apology. **"I would like to apologize for informing you too late of the Zeon soldier. I'm still integrating my software into the Gundam's systems. However, I know this is no excuse and will accept any punishment for my failure."** Amuro, a bit surprised at this, just responded.

"Don't worry about it." Said Amuro. "We'll stop him before he could get anything valuable."

 **"…Understood."** Said Vega before they were contacted by Whitley.

"Amuro. Vega. We need you two to escort the White Base as we're leaving the port. The Musai may try and attack us while we're leaving port."

"What about the Zeon soldier?" Asked Amuro.

"Forget about him. Bright is dealing with it right now with a volunteer group of people." Said Whitley. "Besides, Gundam's weaponry is too powerful to deal with one human soldier. Now please, go outside and protect the White base as we're leaving the port."

"Understood." Said Amuro as he piloted the Gundam to hanger doors that led to the vacuum of space. As soon as everyone went inside the White base, both military and civilian, the doors opened. As soon as enough room was made by the sliding doors, the Gundam went out to the void of space. Upon getting outside, Amuro pulled out some targeting scopes inside the cockpit. Upon using them, he spotted a group of Zeon soldiers going back to their cruiser. Not willing to let them go, Amuro was about to press the button that will fire the beam rifle when Vega spoke.

" **I recommend not firing the beam rifle, Amuro. Especially with your nerves acting against you"** Said Vega as he scanned Amuro, detecting high amounts of anxiety and fear coming from him as well as seeing him shaking from video screens inside the cockpit, which are normally used to communicate with someone.

"But they'll get away with what information they managed to acquire." Said Amuro, though was thankful that Vega was trying to stop him from doing so. It was easier to kill the pilots of the Zakus earlier because he didn't see their actual physical form, just their mobile suits. But this time…he can see that they're clearly humans.

" **I'm afraid that it'll be too inefficient to use the beam rifle to terminate them, Amuro."** Said Vega. **"It wasn't designed with something that small in mind."** Vega then detected missiles cruising to the White Base. **"And I'm afraid that we have more pressing matters to deal with. Four missiles are closing in on the White Base. I'll help with aiming."** Hearing this, Amuro jumped into actions and turned the Gundam to the approaching missiles. Looking down at the targeting scoop, he opened fire at the missiles, scoring a direct hit with three. He missed the forth one, but Vega helped him with destroying it with the second shot. Sighing in relief, Amuro then looked at the cockpit to see the radar blaring to life as two objects are approaching them. Vega then confirmed to him that they're mobile suits. However, Amuro's blood turned cold when Vega mentioned that one of the Zakus matched the color scheme and speed of one of Zeon's most elite pilots. Char Aznable, the Red Comet. Amuro knew to the legendary ace pilot. He single-handily took down five Federation battleships at the battle of Loum. A fear that many thought would be impossible. And know him, a kid, was about to face down this ace pilot.

" **We should disengage and return to ship."** Said Vega as he realized that Amuro's anxiety levels were increasing again, most definitely due to the red mobile suit coming at them and the White Base. **"We won't be able to survive a battle with the Red Comet, even with our superior mobile suit."** Amuro, upon hearing that, just shook off his anxiety and gripped the controls of the cockpit.

"No way!" Yelled Amuro "We can beat him. Just watch me." He then aimed at the approaching Red Comet before firing a shot. To his surprise and shock, the red mobile suit dodged that attack before attacking the Gundam with it's machine gun. Shrugging off the sudden attack, Amuro turned the beam rifle around and fired again, though a little shaken as he was in a real battle. After Amuro fired a forth shot from the beam rifle and missing every time, Vega barged in.

" **If I may, Amuro, I can help with aiming the weapon at the Red comet, like the time that I helped you with the missile."** Said Vega. **"With my assistance, you'll be able to hit the Red Comet with a higher chance of success. Will you accept my help?"** After gasping in shock from a hit to the cockpit by the Red Comet, Amuro nodded his head. Getting the confirmation from his pilot, Vega piloted the Gundam away from the Red comet and aimed the beam rifle. **"Might I suggest we waste one shot to throw the Red Comet off with our second shot? He will likely not expect such a maneuver with a Federation mobile suit as this is be one of the first battles between mobile suits."**

"Sure." Said Amuro, a bit surprised to hear that this AI was going to use such a deceptive maneuver. "Let's do it." Amuro, though a bit shaky, aimed the beam rifle at Char and fired. As predicted the Red Comet dodged the shot, but was completely thrown off guard when another shot was fired to where he was going after he had used his thrusters to move out of the beam rifle's shot. To Amuro's frustration, the Red Comet was able to react just in time to prevent a fatal shot, but was unable to shot the 2nd shot from destroying a leg, leaving Amuro a bit of hope that he can beat him with Vega around. "We got him!"

 **"Yes, however, we still have one more Zaku."** Said Vega just in time for the other Zaku to open fire on them, the bullets doing no harm to the mobile suit. Grunting in exasperation. Amuro aimed at the other Zaku and opened fire, this time scoring a direct hit. The beam energy ripped right through the Zaku's armor and caused a chain reaction, causing the mobile suit to blow up. Amuro was amazed at such power.

"I-I got a Zaku…in just one shot!" Said Amuro, horrified at the power the Federation mobile suit had.

" **Federation technology has always been top of the line. The beam rifle was designed with the idea of destroying mobile suits with ease."** Said Vega before notifying Amuro that reinforcements were arriving. As if on cue, a core fighter came and started shooting at the Red Comet, who was shocked at the display of power. Shaken out of it by the core fighter, the ace pilot was about to shot at it when the Gundam fired at him, forcing him to retreat lest he suffer the same fate as the other Zaku. Amuro was about to fire again when the White Base ordered him to return back. A bit hesitant to let Char go, Amuro nevertheless followed orders and went back. After they landed in one of the White Base's main hanger bays, Vega began to 'speak' to Amuro.

" **Before you leave, Amuro, I would like to congratulate you on how you handled the Gundam and dealing with the Zakus as well as the Red Comet. Not many would have been as successful as you."** Said Vega as Amuro read the text message. Smiling a bit at the praise, Amuro talked back.

"I don't deserve all the credit." Said Amuro. "You helped me a lot back there. If you didn't come up with that suggestion with Char, we probably would have been toast."

 **"Agreed."** Said Vega. **"Though I will not deny that you need further training and experience to more effectively pilot the Gundam. If you like, I could set up a simulation system in the Gundam."**

"Thanks, but I have to go to the bridge." Said Amuro. "And I doubt that I'll be allowed to pilot the Gundam again." He then opened the cockpit and got out. Before he walked, he said good bye and left for the bridge. As he did so, Vega wondered if he would meet a pilot like Amuro again.

* * *

 **Later**

 **White Base bridge**

* * *

Whitley sighed to himself as Bright walked away from Amuro after telling him that he's the new pilot for Gundam, despite not being a soldier. Amuro was, understandably annoyed by this, but reluctantly agreed. As soon as Bright went to help the helmswoman with steering the ship, Whitley went over to Amuro.

"Are you fine, Amuro?" Asked Whitley as soon as Amuro was done talking with Fraw Bow, a neighbor of his and close friend.

"I guess, Mr. Whitley." Said Amuro as he rubbed his arm. "This a lot to take in."

"I know." Agreed Whitley before asking Amuro to walk with him, which he agreed. As they were walking to the hallway, Whitley began to speak. "Do you wish to talk to me about your father?"

"…If you don't mind, I rather not talk about that." Said Amuro.

"I understand." Said Whitley as he looked at Amuro. "If you wish to know, Tem was proud of you and wished for you to be free of this war, which is why he poured so much of his time into the project." Amuro, still a bit unenthusiastic, just nodded in understanding, causing Whitley to sigh. "We'll talk more of this when you are ready for it, Amuro. For now, let's talk about the Gundam and how we can improve your skills with it." With that, he led Amuro to the hanger bay. If he had to partake in this war, the least Whitley can do was help him prepare for piloting the Gundam.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

"Is this right, doctor Whitley?" Asked Amuro as the two were checking the Gundam's systems.

"Yes, we just need to connect these two circuits and…done!" Said Whitley before the two got out of the cockpit. "Vega, can you use the speakers now?" The Gundam's eyes flickered a few times before the speakers of the Gundam activated.

" **Yes, doctor Whitley."** Said Vega in a gentleman-like tone. **"I'm now able to speak through the Gundam's onboard speakers."**

"Excellent." Said Whitley before he handed Amuro a manual. "Now let's work on the weapon systems, Amuro." Amuro just nodded and listened in. As he listened in, Amuro couldn't help, but like doctor Whitley. He liked the man before, but now that was raising more and more as he spent more time with the doctor. Unlike Bright, he treated Amuro like a normal citizen and not a soldier. He understood that he wasn't a soldier and needed time to adjust, something Bright didn't seem to get. Dare he say it, but Whitley was more of a father than his real father was. A few minutes pass and the two were discussing about the beam sabers of the Gundam.

"So, we just need to remove the safeties and the beam sabers will go into this javelin mode?" Asked Amuro as he read the manual.

"Correct." Said Whitley as he looked at Amuro. "It'll give you more penetrating power and range. Good when you're out of ammo for the beam rifle, which will happen often as it only carries sixteen shots. Now, here what we need to do." Before Whitley can talk more, the White Base's intercoms flared up, telling every able body crew member to meet at the bridge. "We'll have to do this another time. Come, it won't be polite to be late." Amuro just laughed a bit at this before leaving. As the two were traversing the White Base, Whitley spoke to Amuro.

"How is Vega treating you? Is he doing well?" Asked Whitley.

"Not too bad." Said Amuro. "He actually helped me hit the Red Comet."

"Yes, I heard that." Said Whitley. "I was amazed along with the rest of the officers. It not only proved that the Red Comet can be taken down, like any other pilot, but it showed that an AI working together with pilot that's willing to cooperate can be an effective team." Whitley then looked at Amuro. "Listen to my words, Amuro. Trust Vega to get you through situations you believe you can't win. He'll do whatever it takes to make sure you live and that the mission is complete."

"Even at its own life?" Asked Amuro, a bit surprised at this. Amuro wasn't exactly all for fully sentient artificial intelligence, despite actually liking Vega and his attitude, but even he would be a little uneasy if even a machine was willing to sacrifice itself by choice to save him.

"Yes." Said Whitley. "If you want, you can ask him yourself. I'm sure he'll give you a more detailed explanation if you're up for that. But anyway, treat him with respect, he may save your life one day. And also, to trust each other. You'll need it if you're going to survive this war." They then reached the bridge, where everyone was already there. Upon seeing Amuro and Whitley, Bright began his announcement.

"I know that this will be a controversial topic, which is why I'm making this a vote." Said Bright before explaining. "Currently, our enemies are rendezvousing with another ship. We don't know if this is another warship or if it's a supply ship. If it's a warship, then they'll likely be able to overwhelm us and destroy us." This caused some to murmur in worry. "However, if it is a supply ship, then we have an opportunity to destroy the enemy while their resupplying. They'll be vulnerable to an attack. So…for those against attacking raise your hands." A few hand rose an the air. "For those up for attacking?" A large number of hands than rose in the air, including Bright and the helmswoman. As everyone was raising their hands, Amuro was whispering to Whitley.

"Should I raise my hand for the attack, Mr. Whitley?" Asked Amuro.

"If you're asking my opinion, Amuro, you shouldn't." Said Whitley. "This is your choice. If you choose to attack and volunteer, I can't stop you. This is your choice on the matter." Amuro just nodded in understanding before raising his hand. Seeing that the majority were for attacking the enemy, Bright began to discuss the battle strategy. As he was doing so, Whitley spoke to Amuro.

"Remember, trust in Vega and he'll get you through against Char." Said Whitley, causing Amuro to nod. Vega pulled him through once before, it can do so again.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

Amuro sighed to himself as he went in the Gundam's cockpit. This time wearing a actual pilot suit. Upon turning on the Gundam, he was immediately confronted by Vega.

" **Amuro? Are you going into battle again?"** Asked Vega, genuinely surprised at this. His calculations deemed it unlikely that another battle would take place so soon.

"Yup." Said Amuro. "We voted on it. Listen Vega, I'm trusting you out there to help me against Char if he comes at us."

 **"Past records of the Red Comet's participated battles suggest he will fight us"** Said Vega.

"So, I need you to help me again with Char." Said Amuro. "I'm counting on you."

 **"I will try my best and ensure that I won't let you down."** Said Vega. Amuro just smiled at that before grabbing a bazooka as the beam rifle was still recharging. **"Do you wish for me to help with the aiming for the initial attack?"**

"Yeah, we'll going to try and ambush them." Said Amuro as the Gundam got on the catapult, which will launch them out of the White Base and into the action. "You ready."

 **"As ready as an artificial intelligence can be."** Said Vega before the two launched into the vacuum of space.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **edboy4926-I don't think it would be logical to install a military AI into a machine meant to be a child's playtoy.**

 **Awareness Bringer and mega float guest- Thank you for your answer, but when I meant for the reason why AIs weren't in the UC century during the one year war and beyond, I meant an in-universe reason, not a beyond the scene one. Still thank you for answering the question.**

 **Awareness Bringer- I don't know about a poll. I already have someone for Amuro. Not in stone yet, but it's likely she'll be the one for him in this story. I'll think on it.**

* * *

"How long until we see the Musai, Vega?" Asked Amuro as they along with a pilot cadet named Ryo were flying along the edges of Luna II, the Federation's main base out in space. Despite being close to a Federation base, the Zeon warship was too far away for anyone to detect them as, due to the usage of Minovsky particles over the course of the way, radar and the like were unable to detect them because of Minovsky particles scrambling them, leaving detection of enemy forces down to a human's naked eye or low-frequency lasers.

" **Just a few more minutes, Amuro.** " Said Vega. **"If I may, I recommend that we move around them so that the sun wouldn't get in the way."** Amuro nodded at that, thinking the exact same thing.

"I agree." Said Amuro. "And it'll make it harder for the enemy to see and hit us."

" **Precisely."** Said Vega. **"I recommend telling the core fighter about the plan as it seems that he's planning to go straight forward."** Sure enough, when Amuro looked at the core fighter, he saw that Ryo was indeed moving forward.

"He should know better." Said Amuro before he signaled Ryo to stand down. Soon Ryo contacted them.

"What's wrong?" Asked Ryo. "Why shouldn't we move in now?"

"If we move in now, we'll have the sun impeding our vision." Explained Amuro. "We have to go around." He then piloted the Gundam to the side, trying to avoid the Musai. Ryo, a bit hesitant to follow the words of a civilian, nevertheless followed along. Sure enough, the Musai was soon in sight and Ryo saw that, had they moved forward, the sun would have blinded them, impeding their ability to fight.

"Not bad for a rookie." Said Ryo with a chuckle, a bit embarrassed that Amuro, a civilian, made a tactical decision while he, a trained, albeit still a rookie soldier, would have charged in blindly. "I should have thought of using the sun against the enemy."

 **"You are still a pilot in training."** Said Vega through the commlink. **"You should not berate yourself due to making a tactical mistake. If you survive, you will have this experience to ensure that you won't make the same mistake again."**

"Yeah, I guess.' Said Ryo. Though, like most of the crew, he was still wary of the AI in the Gundam, he was perfectly alright with the AI if it helped them survive the battle. Still, he was a bit pleased and surprised to find the AI trying to make him feel better. "Alright, how should we do this?" Vega just used the Gundam cameras to figure out their opposition.

" **It seems we we're right to attack."** Said Vega. **"The Musai is currently docking with a Papua-class supply ship. If our past battles are any indication, then the Musai is currently being resupplied with new Zakus and missiles along with recreational supplies."  
**

"Must be." Said Ryo. "You guys trashed three of their Zakus and cost the Red Comet a leg."

" **Indeed."** Said Vega. **"With recorded records of battles with Musais, I believe that only the Red Comet's mobile suit is available as Musais typically only carry around three to four Zakus."**

"So, this is our chance to take out the Red Comet." Said Amuro as they moved into position.

" **Possible."** Said Vega. **"I recommend that we take out the supply ship first as it seems that they're just beginning to transfer supplies."**

"And without supplies, the Musai will be forced to leave us alone." Said Amuro as he aimed at the conveyer pipe connecting the two ships.

" **Indeed."** Said Vega. **"Since a Papua ship has only two anti-aircraft guns, I recommend Ryo to take those out first. As accordance to Bright's plan, we'll allow the White Base to destroy the Musai on its own."**

"You got it." Said Ryo. "I'll commence my attack as soon you guys do." Ryo then sped away in order to start his attack on the two ships from another direction. Amuro then took a deep breath as Vega directed him where to aim in order to maximize his accuracy.

"Got you now, Char." Said Amuro before firing, the bazooka round speeding away with little recoil. As the bazooka reloaded, Amuro watched as the round hit the conveyer pipes. He soon fired another one. Unfortunately, the round missed as the two ships maneuvered out of the way. A few seconds after the 2nd round, the Musai launched a barrage of small missiles at the Gundam. Fortunately, due to the sun, the missiles were way off course at hitting the Gundam. Just as Amuro was about to fire again, the scanners picked up a mobile suit coming at them. Taking a deep breath, Amuro redirected his bazooka at Char, who was approaching them at three times the normal speeds of Zakus. As predicted, Char dodged the shot and got up close before throwing a punch and a kick with his only leg. The armor held and Amuro fired the Gundam's vulcans at Char, forcing him to back away. Amuro then fired the last two shots, which Char either shot down or dodged. Gritting his teeth due to the bazooka running out of ammo, Amuro threw the bazooka at Char before bringing out his beam saber. The two mobile suits then engaged in direct combat with Char dodging the Gundam's swings or moving to a safe distance. As the two fought, Vega began oversee the rest of the battle while also keeping an eye on Amuro. Before he could analyze the battle, Char suddenly began to flee back to the Musai, obviously having been contacted by the ship of incoming danger as the White Base has now begun its assault on the Musai. As they were pursuing him, Vega spoke to Amuro.

" **Amuro, if we wish to prevent Char from assisting the Musai, we need to distract him."** Said Vega. **"Due to our limited armaments, I recommend transferring some power from non-essential systems to the thrusters. That should give us enough of a boast to go ahead of him and surprise him, giving us a chance to attack him while he's distracted."**

"Got it." Said Amuro before doing so. He then fired the thrusters again, the extra power giving the Gundam the speed it needed to pass the red comet. As both pilots were recovering from the sudden boast in speed, the Gundam, controlled by Vega, swung the beam saber at Char, who had just enough time to dodge. As retaliation, Char kicked the Gundam and pushed it away before firing at it with his machine gun, the bullets proving useless against the Gundam's armor. Despite their efforts, Char was still on his way to the Musai, trying to keep the Gundam away.

"Shouldn't the White Base have destroyed the Musai by now?" Asked Amuro as he fired the vulcan guns at Char, who returned fire. Vega, wondering as well, used the Gundam's optical scanners to oversee that rest of the battle, figuring out what was wrong.

" **The Core fighter is preventing the White Base from opening fire at the Musai or the Papua due to the pilot continuously being in the way."** Said Vega. Shocked at this, Amuro disengaged a bit to see the battle. Sure enough he saw the Core fighter make a pass at the Musai that would have destroyed it if the White Base had opened fire at the Musai.

"So with Ryo in the way, we can't hit the Musai." Said Amuro. He then attempted to contact Ryo, but got nothing but static. "Somethings wrong with the comm circuit!"

 **"Unlikely."** Said Vega as Amuro began to fight with Char again. **"It's likely that he disconnected the communication circuit by accident."**

"Whatever it is, it means that we have to take the Musai out of commission ourselves." Said Amuro. "The White Base can't attack without endangering the Core fighter and the Core fighter doesn't have the weapons needed to take down the Musai. So, we'll have to do it."

" **While I understand you're reasoning, the Red Comet isn't going to make it easier for us."** Said Vega as the Red Comet attacked them, forcing them to fight back.

"I know. Can you give me a suggestion?" Asked Amuro before he swung the beam saber at the Zaku, which dodged before retaliating with the pummel of its gun.

" **Just one."** Said Vega. **"If you throw the spare beam saber in its javelin mode and aim it in the right spot, we may be able to cripple the Musai. I recommend either the bridge or one of it's engines. This is the best I can offer with the Red Comet in the way.** "

"It'll have to do." Said Amuro before grabbing the spare beam saber and flying off to the Musai. Seeing this, the Red Comet tried to catch up, but due to the extra power to the thrusters, the Gundam was outpacing the Red Comet. Carefully aiming at one of the engines of the Musai, Amuro threw a beam saber, in its javelin mode, at the Musai. Amazement filled him as the weapon pierced the Musai's engine, causing it to blow up and damage the ship further with incoming shrapnel. Unfortunately, Amuro couldn't celebrate yet because Char came back, this time with a thirst for revenge. Before either Vega or Amuro could react, Char tackled them before kicking the Gundam in the head. He was about to throw a punch at the cockpit when Vega opened fire with the vulcans. Despite their inability to damage a Zaku due to their low penetration power, the vulcans were still sufficient enough to damage a Zaku's more unarmored parts, like the main camera. The bullets damaged the main camera, shocking Char enough for Vega to throw a punch in the Zaku's belly, where the cockpit was. The punch left a large dent in the suit, forcing Char to back off, but not before headbutting the Gundam.

"Oh no you don't!" Yelled Amuro after recovering from the sudden tackle. Before they could pursue, the scanners suddenly detected a large explosion. Looking back at the Zeon warships, the two saw the Papua supply ship going down. "I thought the Core fighter was in the way."

 **"I detect the Guntank some distance away. That may be the reason."** Said Vega, making Amuro nod in understanding. Just then they were contacted by Bright.

"Pull back, Amuro!" Said Bright. "We destroyed the supply ship and you damaged the Musai. We don't need to do anymore. Retreat!"

"Are you sure, but…" Protested Amuro, but Bright cut him off.

"No buts. You're nearly out of ammo and weapons and so is the Core fighter. Pull back!" Ordered Bright.

"Understood." Said Amuro. Before they could pull back Vega detected a Zaku coming at them. Thinking it was Char, Amuro got ready for a fight. But to his shock, it was just a normal Zaku coming at them. But rather than the normal Zaku II, it was a Zaku I. The predecessor for the Zaku II. "What the heck is that doing here?"

 **"It must have been from the supply ship. The Zaku I has been reported in backwater bases and in the supply corps for the Zeons."** Said Vega as the two got ready.

"But why is he after us?" Questioned Amuro, thinking the pilot was insane in doing this.

" **I have no idea, but I recommend working together in taking it out. It may prove beneficial for our cooperation. I'll let you make the first move."** Said Vega. Amuro just nodded. As the two were waiting for the Zaku to move in closer, Amuro suddenly attacked. It was too soon, however, and the Zaku dodged it before moving in for a tackle. Fortunately, Vega took over the Gundam and kicked the Zaku in the head before using the Beam saber to bisect it. It then moved away before the reactor could blow up. Once it did, Vega used the Gundam's shield to cover them from the debris. **"Shall we go now?"** Thought Amuro was a bit reluctant in retreating now, he agreed and the two pulled back with the core fighter soon joining them. As they left, they were watched by the Red Comet. As he watched them leave, the Red Comet was clutching his controls, his pride damaged. He swore that he'll pay the pilot back for this. But he also wondered how the pilot managed to react so quickly. Some of the maneuvers he pulled off were done far too quickly for any normal human. Something was off.

* * *

 **Later**

 **White Base bridge**

* * *

"Seriously Ryo, how could you disconnect the comm circuit, especially in the middle of battle?" Asked Amuro as the two were walking to the bridge so they could speak to Bright. Ryo just laughed, embarrassed.

"I have no idea." Said Ryo. "Must have accidentally turned it off. I'm trained with regular Federation fighters, not something like the core fighter. It won't happen again, I promise."

"Tell that to Bright." Said Amuro. Soon, the two entered the bridge to find the two Guntank pilots, a young man named Kai and one of Amuro's neighbors, Hayato Kobayashi, giving their report to Bright.

"I'm telling you this piloting stuff isn't too bad." Said Kai as he took of his helmet.

"That's not true, Kai. You were only able to attack because Char was busy with Amuro and there weren't any other Zakus in the area." Said Bright before turning to Amuro and Ryo. "Care to explain what happened, Ryo."

"Yeah." Said Ryo as he rubbed his head. "I disconnected the communication circuit, sir. It won't happen again." Bright just sighed before nodding his head. He couldn't be mad at Ryo. He was just a cadet. The same could be said of everyone else. Amuro, Kai, and Hayato were just civilians with no military training. But that didn't mean he could let them off the hook if they make a mistake that would endanger them and the rest of the crew. As the temporary captain of the White Base, he had to make decisions that'll help in their survival, which included in making sure that people knew of their mistakes and that steps will be made to ensure those mistakes won't be repeated again.

"As for you Amuro." Said Bright as he turned to the Amuro. He looked at Whitley, who was instructing Sayla Mass, another civilian, about the White Base's comms, briefly before looking back at Amuro. "You did well against Char, but you relied on Vega and the Gundam too much. If it weren't for them, Char would have killed you." Amuro looked surprised at this a bit, whether it was because it was him scolding him or was because he also praised him. "You need to work on minimizing your dependence on them."

"But, Mr. Bright…." Said Ryo, but Bright raised his hand, stopping Ryo from speaking. Amuro was a bit silent for a moment before speaking.

"Understood." Said Amuro before saluting the captain. Bright just nodded before yelling out orders to the bridge staff. Seeing they weren't needed, Ryo and Amuro left. Upon seeing them leave, Whitley walked over to Bright.

"I didn't expect that coming from you, Mr. Bright." Said Whitley. "Did our talk from before help?" Bright just looked at Whitley. Prior to the battle, Whitley and Bright had spoken about Bright's sudden position as captain of the White Base. To the young officer's surprise, Whitley had given him some tips about being a good officer due to his father being an officer in the Federation navy.

* * *

 **Flashback**

* * *

"I don't know if this will be good advice, Mr. Bright, but you need to balance between being a strict officer and a kind one." Said Whitley as the two conversed. "Both have merits, but also disadvantages. Being both could be beneficial, especially with the crew we have."

"I don't know, sir." Said Bright. "I feel like they need a firm and strict hand to guide. Not one that'll let them go with a pat on the back."

"Understandable." Said Whitley. "All I'm saying is for you to be a bit lenient with these people, Bright. These aren't soldiers, meaning they aren't used to the harshness of military officers. If you keep being strict with them, they'll resent you and we can't have that. We need the crew to trust and respect the captain. You being nice to them will help in that." Bright just hummed to himself.

"I don't know if it'll work, sir, but I'll give it a go." Said Bright. Whitley nodded in understanding. "Now, what do you think of our chances in the coming battle." Whitley hummed to himself before telling Bright what he thinks the battle will go.

* * *

 **Present**

* * *

"I don't know." Said Bright. "I think Amuro may resent me a bit from criticizing a bit."

"He may, but he'll go over it." Said Whitley. "He's still a teen and they're not known for respecting authority that criticizes them that they're not familiar with or respect." Bright just nodded before going back to issuing orders.

* * *

Later

Luna II

Musai

* * *

Char was tapping his knee as he watched the Trojan horse, a term given by high command for the new Federation warship, began docking procedures with Luna II, the last stronghold for the Federation in space. The powers of Minovsky particles still amazed him. The particles had rendered all long-range communications and sensors practically useless, enabling his damaged ship to venture so close to Luna II without being detected. But now, he was thinking of how to deal with this. Admiral Dozle had ordered him to capture the Trojan horse and the project V mobile suits at any costs and that was something that he planned to do. Even though he secretly planned to betray and kill the Zabi family, the project V mobile suits could be a hamper to this plan, so he went along. He may hate the Zabis, but he loved his nation. Tapping his chin, his thoughts ventured to the blond woman that he saw at side seven. She looked like his sister, Artesia. But it couldn't be. Artesia hated violence and war. She would never point a gun, let alone hold it. Could just be a coicidence. Shaking his head to remove those thoughts, his mind went back to the Trojan horse and how to deal with it, now that it was docked in a Federation base. Eventually, he thought up a plan. Dangerous and risky, but wars weren't won by being careful all the time.

"Ensign! Gather up five of the best men on the ship! We're going to attack Luna II!" Yelled out Char, turning to his men. Everyone widened their eyes and looked at Char, mouths agape.

"But sir." Protested Ensign Dren. "It's just our one damaged ship against the entire Luna II defense force. Not to mention the enemy mobile suits."

"Don't worry Dren." Said Char. "I have a plan. Just trust me." Dren looked a bit hesitant, but nevertheless complied. Char just smirked. Dren was loyal and fought with Char since the battle of Loum. The man trusted that Char knew what he was doing. Sighing to himself, Char wondered about that pilot from before.

" **His reflexes were too quick."** Though Char recalling the times the pilot reacted too fast against him. **"Could it be possible…no. The feddies wouldn't attempt to make one now. It's too risky."**

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Luna II**

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Yelled out Kai as he along with Bright, Amuro, Ryo, and Hayato were stuck in a Federation cell. After they gave their report to the commander in charge, a man named commandant Wakkein, the man had them arrested for being exposed to top secret military equipment as well as operation said machines. Whitley was spared because he was the only surviving member of the engineers of Project V, but everyone else was incarcerated.

"What do we do, sir?" Asked Ryo as Bright paced around the cell.

"We need to convince, commandant Wakkein to release us and to warn him that Char will attack us." Said Bright.

"You sure about that?" Asked Hayato.

"Positive." Said Bright. "He's known for his reckless and, often times, suicidal tactics."

"If that's the case, shouldn't Wakkein know about that?" Asked Amuro, wondering why Wakkein was underestimating Char.

"He thinks that even Char wouldn't be this reckless in attacking Luna II, given how large the fleet stationed here is and how well defended it is. That's his first mistake. We have to warn him."

"I doubt this Wakkein will listen to regular people like us." Said Kai as he laid down. "He'll just label us as paranoid or glort hogs."

"If he won't listen to us, maybe he'll listen to Whitley." Suggested Amuro.

"He may." Said Bright. "I'm afraid Whitley may be our only chance."

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

"Please listen to me commandant." Said Whitley, frustrated with the commander in charge of Luna II. "Char will attack. His past battles are proof of this."

"While they do indicate that he is a loose cannon." Said Wakkein, calm. "Even he wouldn't dare attack Luna II with a damaged Musai and Zaku. You're overestimating him."

"No, you're underestimating him, commandant." Said Whitley. "You need to raise the base on high alert as well as releasing the mobile suits and the crew of the White Base from their confines. We have to…"

"With respect sir." Said Wakkein, a bit annoyed. "You're not in command of Luna II. I am. And I'm saying that White Base, the mobile suits, and the crew will be impounded until further notice." Wakkein then looked at the soldiers guarding them. "Please escort Mr. Whitley to his room." Whitley just scowled as he was being escorted to his temporary room. Along the way, a young teenager bumped into him. Looking at her, he could see that she was with the Federation based on her cadet uniform. Her blue hair and eyes was a distinction that surprised him. The girl looked up to him and said an apology before gathering the files that she dropped. Out of generosity, Whitley helped her. After handing the girl the last file, she looked at him.

"Thank you, sir." Said the girl before saluting Whitley. "I appreciate the assistance." Whitley nodded his head before being escorted to his room. Tilting her head, the girl wondered why he was being escorted by Federation soldiers.

* * *

 **I don't even know why I'm bothering with this, given there's only one character (that I know of anyway) in the UC century that has blue hair and has interactions with Amuro, but...who is this girl and how would you make her become a part of the White Base crew?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **edboy4926- I see. To be honest, I never watch the 00 series. The only Gundam series I've even watched were from the UC, Cosmic, and the After colony timelines.**

 **Awareness Bringer- I get where your saying. I always found Sayla to be a bag of missed potential after they completely relegated her to a few cameos after the One Year War. Even if she isn't paired up with Amuro, she'll likely have a big role in this fic, given her role in the show, as well as the sequel if I can find a website that shows mobile suit Gundam zeta episodes for free.**

* * *

Char stood silent as he watched his men place the explosives, careful in not alerting and Federation guards. If this worked, then they'll be able to both capture the Trojan Horse and take out a good portion of the Luna II defense force. After the final explosives were placed, he set the timer for the explosives and had his men fall back to a safe distance. After doing so, the group of Zeon soldiers waited for the explosives to blow.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Luna II**

 **Detention sector**

* * *

"So…what is this?" Asked Kai as Amuro began to make a diagram with his food that the Federation guards had recently given them. It was that disgusting paste food. It wasn't really bad, in a literal term, but the paste was just so bland and tasteless that Kai would have preferred real prison food over this paste.

"It's a diagram that showed up after my battle with Char." Explained Amuro as he explained it to the guys. "Whitley explained to me that the Gundam was equipped with much more advance technology than the Guncannon and Guntank. Aside from Vega, the Gundam was equipped with a learning computer."

"A learning computer?" Asked Hayato.

"Yup. It's a computer that stores the data from past battles and uses that data to make combat simulations that are based on actual data. Not only that, but it also enables the Gundam to actively learn and improve its capabilities."

"So, you're saying that it allows the Gundam to actually learn, even with your AI partner?" Asked Kai.

"Actually, Vega was a last-minute addition to the program." Explained Amuro. "But Whitley and I think that the computer can help Vega with analyzing the Gundam's combat data and that Vega can do it more efficiently with the computer."

"So, is this why you can compete with Char?" Asked Hayato.

"Yup. Along with Vega, of course." Said Amuro. "If it weren't for those two factors, Char would have killed me."

"While I agree with they helped out a lot, I think you did pretty alright against Char." Said Ryo with a smile. Amuro smiled at Ryo's opinion of him and was about to thank him when an explosion suddenly rocked the entire base. The shockwaves sent their food flying the air with a fork nearly hitting Ryo in the face. Their room was then bathed in red light.

"What the hell was that!?" Asked Kai as he got up from the ground along with everyone else.

"It's Char!" Yelled Bright as he went over to the door and tried to get it open. "I knew he would try something like this. We have to get inside the White Base and get the mobile suits out." Nodding their heads in agreement, Ryo and Amuro helped Bright with the door. "With the emergency lights on, I think that the base's power went out for a moment so we should be able to open this door. We just need little more strength." With all their strength, the three men pulled open the door, allowing them to slip out. After getting out, the group immediately meet up with Mirai and Sayla, who were relieved to see them. After a short reunion, the group immediately went to the main hangar bay, which contained the White Base.

Along the way to the hanger, the group spotted Fraw Brow along with some children talking with some soldiers. Since they were in the way, the soldiers were taken out by Amuro and Bright, who knocked them unconscious. After telling Fraw to get to safety, the group proceeded to the White Base, while avoiding passing soldiers that were going to defensives emplacements and stations in order to defend the Base from more attacks, as well as picking up some space suits as the hanger bay was exposed to the vacuum of space. As they were traveling to the White Base, they saw a Magellan-class battleship going outside to confront whatever forces were attacking them. Unfortunately, explosions soon occurred once the Magellan passed a certain point. The resulting explosions soon threw it off course and made it crash into the hanger bay, which ended with the ship being stuck diagonally near the hangar bay doors, preventing other ships from leaving the bay.

"Damn it!" Swore Bright as the group entered the ship. "This got a lot more complicated."

"What do we do?" Asked Amuro as the group stood in the mobile suit bay.

"For now, just get the Gundam free." Ordered Bright before ordering Mirai and Sayla to the bridge. He then went with Ryo to get some torches to get rid or the Gundam's restraints. As they were doing so, Amuro floated to the Gundam, the Zero-G environment allowing him to do so, so he can wake up Vega. After getting into the cockpit, he began to start up the systems, allowing Vega to come online.

" **Amuro?"** Asked Vega in surprise. **"What is going on? Isn't the White Base impounded?"**

"Long story." Said Amuro. "Just know that Char is attacking Luna II and we need Gundam to repel it."

" **Understood. I will be waiting for you or any other Federation pilot to enter the Gundam so we can engage the enemy once the restraints are gone."** Said Vega. Amuro nodded his head at that before going to Bright so he can help cut the restraints holding the Gundam in place. As he waited for the restraints to be cut, Vega wondered what Whitley was doing right now.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

" ***Coughs*** Get these men out of here!" Yelled Whitley as he helping some Federation soldiers out of an recreation area that was affected by the explosions before with a few other soldiers.

"Sir, there's one more soldier along with a cadet in there!" Said a Federation engineer as he dragged his comrade it safety.

"Damn. Hold this man and get some fire extinguishers out here." Said Whitley before passing the men he carried to another before going in. Covering his mouth with his hand to prevent smoke from entering his systems, Whitley wondered around the recreation area for the two-missing people. To his luck, he found the two in a relatively safe spot away from the fire. Unfortunately, it seemed the soldier was hurt by shrapnel and the cadet was struggling to escort him to safety. As Whitley was walking toward the two, he was shocked to see the cadet was the same one that he bumped into. Upon seeing Whitley, the cadet was relieved to see that help had come as she wasn't strong enough to carry the soldier on her own. Placing one of the man's arms around his shoulder, Whitley ordered the cadet to lead them out, which she did flawlessly. After getting out of that room, Whitley handed the man to a soldier and told him that the man was wounded via shrapnel. As he inhaled some smokeless air, the cadet walked up to him.

"Thank you, sir. I'm not sure either of us would have made it if it weren't for you." Said the girl with a grateful smile. Whitley just nodded his head in confirmation before brushing his clothes.

"It's no problem. Now I must ask you to head somewhere safe while I go to Wakkein to figure out what he's going to do about this situation. The girl just nodded her head before watching Whitley leave.

* * *

 **Back to Vega**

* * *

" **Whatever he's doing, he must be having a better time than us."** Thought Vega as he saw from the Gundam's camera that the commandant in charge of Luna II was holding the White Base crew in gun point, obviously anger that they were disobeying orders. Bright, not willing to put the others in danger, put himself in front of Wakkein and told him that he'll take the punishment for what was going on and that Wakkein needed to figure out who's side he was on. With Wakkein distracted, the others began to cut the last restraints to the Gundam. Vega then watched as a video feed from the bridge showed up from a screen next to Wakkein. Though he couldn't see who it was, Vega heard that the name Paolo, the original captain of the White Base be mentioned by Wakkein. Tuning the Gundam's audio receivers to the right frequency, Vega managed to listen in on the conversation.

"I know that this is an unusual situation, commandant." Said a voice, likely Paolo. "But I'm afraid, quite sadly, that these kids are our best shot in winning this battle as they have more experience with these machines than any of your soldiers."

"But sir…" Wakkein tried to talk but was cut off by Paolo.

"I know, but we have no choice. I know that you'll make the right decision commandant." Said Paolo. Wakkein simply stared at the screen for awhile before sighing in resignation.

"I understand sir." Said Wakkein before saluting to the Paolo, who did so as well, albeit weakly. Wakkein then turned to Bright and nodded his head, who took it as a sign of Wakkein's approval. Nodding his head in thanks, Bright ordered Ryo to pilot the core fighter to engage whatever enemy forces are attacking them while also doing the same with Amuro. With the last restraints cut, Amuro got on the Gundam and began piloting onto the catapult.

"You caught the conversation between Paolo and Wakkein, Vega?" Asked Amuro as the two stepped on the catapult after Amuro acquired a spare Bazooka.

" **Indeed. We are fortunate that we have an understanding and influential officer on our side."** Said Vega.

"Yeah." Said Amuro before bracing himself as the catapult launched them out of the hangar bay with the trajectory, thankfully, being nowhere near the Magellan that was stuck near the hangar bay doors. Upon getting out of the hangar bay, the duo looked out for any incoming enemy forces.

"What do we have, Vega?" Asked Amuro as he got ready for a fight. The AI simply scanned the area to the best of his abilities before informing Amuro of the situation.

" **Three Zakus are approaching Luna II. One of them being Char's damaged Zaku."** Informed Vega before Amuro spotted the three Zakus approaching to his right. Aiming down his sights, Amuro fired at the incoming Zakus, who, to his frustration, dodged and proceeded to attack him together. Fortunately, the core fighter drew the attention of the two normal Zakus, allowing Amuro to engage Char in one on one combat.

"Vega, warn me if any of the Zakus are approaching us. I'll take care of Char myself. Only get in when it looks like I'm struggling," Said Amuro as the two machines began to fight each other. Vega, despite being against this, complied as it was a part of his programming to obey the Gundam's pilot wishes, only disobeying them if it puts the Gundam and the pilot at risk of capture or destruction. However, this skepticism, proved false as Vega saw Amuro holding his own against Char's damaged Zaku quite well for a rookie, even when Char brought out his Zaku's heat axe and destroyed the Gundam's bazooka. Rather than losing his cool, Amuro held together and fought Char with one of the Gundam's beam sabers, showcasing that he had improved since his first battle with Char. As he watched this continue, Vega calculated that, even though the damage from Char's Zaku was helping Amuro in this fight, Amuro was still doing far more better than any normal civilian could have done in his stead, impressing the AI. Before he could do anything, Vega detected an incoming Zaku approaching them, having seen an opportunity to attack the Gundam while distracted with Char.

" **Incoming Zaku from the rear."** Said Vega as the Zaku drew out his heat hawk.

"Got it!" Yelled Amuro before he had the Gundam draw out the 2nd beam saber and stab the other Zaku with it, killing the pilot and making the Zaku explode.

" **Well done, Amuro. You're doing remarkably well for a civilian with no training.** " Said Vega as Amuro placed the 2nd beam saber back to it's place in the Gundam's backpack and resuming his fight with Char. Despite the situation, Amuro allowed himself to smile at Vega's words of encouragement. As the battle drew on between the two machines, the White Base was preparing to destroy the Magellan blocking the hangar, under the orders of Wakkein, who knew it was necessary to destroy the ship to allow White Base to assist the Gundam. As the necessary steps were being taken to minimize damage to the White Base and the other ships in the hangar, Bright ordered Ryo and Amuro to get away as they're preparing to attack the Magellan's reactor core. Hearing this, the two pilots got out of the way from the hangar bay and to a safe distance while the Zakus were oblivious to what was going on. Soon the White Base fired at the Magellan's reactor core with its main guns, causing a chain reaction to blow up the ship and somewhat damaging the White Base. Surprisingly, a regular Zaku was caught in the blast, turning it and the pilot into space dust. Even the damaged Musai was nearly caught in the blast. Fortunately, for it, the ship was undamaged, but was forced to retreat with Char, who had no choice, but to abandon his attempt on stealing the White Base and Gundam. After throwing his heat axe as a distraction, Char safely made his way to the Musai, much to Amuro's surprise.

"What kind of man is Char?" Asked Amuro in wonder. First, he recklessly attacks Luna II, but then later runs away when the odds turn against him.

" **He knew the opposition was against him, Amuro. I assume even the Red Comet knows when to retreat to fight another day."** Said Vega. **"However, I believe we haven't seen the last of Char."**

"No doubt on that." Said Amuro. "If he's crazy enough to attack Luna II, despite the damage on his ship and Zaku, there's no telling what he'll do next." He then sighed before going to the White Base, which was now leaving the hangar bay. "Let's go back to the others. There's no point in staying." With that the Gundam and core fighter went back to the hangar of the White Base, not knowing of what happened on the bridge.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Luna II**

* * *

"You serious?" Asked Amuro in shock as Sayla told him what happened on the bridge. "Paolo is dead?" Sayla just nodded her head.

"It's true." Said Sayla. "He died from the injuries he sustained from side 7. I doubt that the doctors could have done anything for him, given how long it's been since he got them and hadn't gotten any proper medical help."

"Is that so." Said Amuro, saddened that Paolo is dead. He may not have known him, but he knew that it wasn't for him, that the White Base crew wouldn't have been able to save the day at Luna II. So, the best he could do was attend his funeral. "How will the funeral go out?"

"Wakkein said that it'll happen after his finishes his talks with Bright and Whitley. Apparently, Whitley demanded it after the battle ended. Something about getting an escort and some additional personal on the White Base." Said Sayla. "That man is stubborn. Well, anyway, I need to go speak with Mirai about something. Catch you later." Amuro nodded his head as he walked away. As he was walking in the corridors of the Luna II base, he managed to stumble upon a young girl walking toward the hangar bay that the White Base was in. Curious as she was wearing a cadet uniform, Amuro followed her. Sure enough, he saw her putting on a space suit and entering an airlock that will lead her to the hangar bay where the White Base was in. Raising an eyebrow, Amuro put a space suit of his own on before proceeding into the hangar bay. He then watched as the girl entered the hangar where the Gundam was being stored. Slightly suspicious now, Amuro floated to the hangar of the White Base and saw the girl looking at the Gundam, Guncannon, and Guntank in awe.

"What amazing mobile suits." Said the girl. "If only I was a part of this crew. Then I could see them in action."

"So you can deliver that data to Zeon?" Asked Amuro as he approached the girl. Upon hearing the voice, the girl yelped before turning around. Upon seeing Amuro, the girl blushed in embarrassment before looking down at the floor. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I just wanted to see the new Federation mobile suits." Said the girl, embarrassed that she was caught, but also worried that she'll be court-martialed for this as the mobile suits were still technically top secret.

"So, you can tell Zeon about this?" Asked Amuro. Hearing the accusation, the girl looked at Amuro in shock before narrowing her eyes in anger.

"How dare you." Said the girl. "I would never do anything for them. Not after what they did in this war."

"Then why are you here?" Asked Amuro, not believing her story for a second. "You should know better then to sneak in here."

"I know, but I wanted to see the new mobile suit. Just for curiosity sake! Not for the Zeons." Said the girl. She then sighed. "If you don't believe me, look up my file. It should give you enough proof that I'm against Zeon."

"Really?" Asked Amuro skeptically before floating to the Gundam. "Let's see." Curious and not willing to let the boy go for his accusation, the girl floated with him to the Gundam.

"What are you trying to do?" Asked the girl as Amuro powered up the Gundam. After powering up the mobile suit, Amuro took the girl's hand and floated up to the 2nd floor of the hangar bay. Though embarrassed that he was holding her hand, the girl was still upset that the boy had accused her of being a Zeon spy. Once the Gundam had finished powering up, the Gundam, to her shock, started to move it's head in confusion until it saw Amuro and the girl on the 2nd floor, which was located somewhere near the cockpit of the mobile suits.

"Can you move by yourself, Vega?" Asked Amuro.

" **I will assume that you are feigning ignorance at my ability to walk on my own without a pilot."** Said Vega before walking to the two and crouching down to be at eye level with the two. **"Why is there an unknown Federation cadet with you, Amuro** " Asked Vega upon seeing the girl with Amuro.

"Well, I caught her sneaking to the White Base and thought that she was a Zeon spy." Said Amuro, causing the girl to glare at him. "She said she isn't and that her file will prove that she isn't. Can you look it up?"

 **"As long as it isn't classified and is in the official Federation records, yes."** Said Vega. **"I can access Federation records of all personal on Luna II, but I don't do so out of respect for one's privacy and because I have blocks in my systems that prevent me from doing so without authorization."**

"Can I do so?" Asked Amuro as the girl looked at the sentient Gundam in shock, not believing this to be happening.

" **Only if it is for the safety of Project V and the Federation."** Said Vega. **"Otherwise, it must be done by a high-ranking Federation officer, like a captain."**

"Then do it. Just to be sure." Said Amuro. Vega stayed silent before beginning his search for the girl's files. It took him a little over five seconds before he acquired the information.

" **This may get you in trouble, Amuro, and this will likely have me terminated, but I have the file."** Said Vega. **"The girl's name is Chan Agi. She was previously an inhabitant of the cluster of colonies known as side 5."** Hearing the term side 5, Amuro looked at Vega in shock. He knew all about side 5. Side 5 was the site of the Battle of Loum, the battle where mobile suits truly showed their effectiveness and potential as a game changer in a battle. He also knew it was the cluster of colonies that was completely wiped out after the battle ended, the culprit being Zeon. The Principality of Zeon, with no Antarctic treaty to prevent them from doing so, used nuclear weapons against the cluster of colonies as well as the Federation space forces. Though the Federation stopped the Zeons from using any of the colonies from Side 5 from being used for colonies drops by the Principality, Side 5 was still completely wiped out and the Federation took massive losses along with the Zeons. Fortunately, for better or worse, a few million of the inhabitants from those colonies were evacuated in time prior to the start of the battle. The survivors had a great deal of hatred for Zeon ever since and many joined the Federation to make the Zeons pay for what they did to Side 5.

"You sure, Vega?" Asked Amuro.

" **Positive."** Said Vega. **"You can ask Wakkein for confirmation, but I have no doubt that she's telling the truth."** Feeling ashamed for accusing her for spying for Zeon, Amuro looked at the girl before him, who was holding herself in pain, obviously hurt at the mention of Side 5.

"I'm sorry." Said Amuro. "I shouldn't have accused you." The girl, now known as Chan, just sighed.

"It's okay." Said Chan. "You didn't know. And to be honest, it was stupid of me to sneak in here after a battle had just occurred. I deserve some sort of punishment for this."

" **She has a point. She will be reprimanded for this, if you report this."** Said Vega.

"What kind?" Asked Amuro.

" **Depending on the Federation officer, that ranges from imprisonment to death."** Said Vega, shocking the two.

"Death!?" Asked Amuro. "That's completely unnecessary!"

 **"It has happened before in history, Amuro."** Said Vega. **"This is your choice."**

"It'll be fine, Amuro." Said Chan. "Most Federation officers aren't that cruel. At least those stationed here."

 **"There is a very likely chance though that you will be imprisoned for life for this though.** " Said Vega. **"Unlike the crew, who are likely getting a special pass due to circumstances, you have nothing to defend yourself with."**

"I know. I wasn't thinking when I was doing this stunt and I have to pay for the consequences." Said Chan.

"But still. They're both too harsh. Especially on a teenage girl like yourself." Said Amuro.

" **What is your choice, Amuro?"** Asked Vega. **"I will stand by whatever your decision is. That is my purpose, after all."** Amuro just looked at Vega and Chan before sighing to himself.

"Let's get you out of here before anyone sees us." Said Amuro before leading her away from White Base. As he was doing so, Vega went back to the position the Gundam was in before Amuro woke him up, powering himself down after doing so. A few minutes later, the two were safely in the corridors of Luna II after placing their space suits back to where the found them. As they were walking away, Chan looked at Amuro.

"Why did you do that?" Asked Chan. "Any normal soldier would have arrested me and brought before an officer for punishment."

"Well." Said Amuro while shaking his head. "I thought that the punishments were too harsh, even the more lenient ones. So, I decided to let you off the hook. I mean it was just a look at some mobile suits that are already known to the enemy. Big deal. Besides, the White Base crew faced something similar before much a few hours ago. Doesn't seem fair to place you in that position."

"But still…thank you." Said Chan with a smile. "I'm indebted to you." Seeing her relatively charming smile, caused Amuro to blush a bit before looking away.

"No problem. Just don't do it again, alright." Said Amuro as Chan led him to her room.

"I doubt I'll get the chance to do so." Said Chan. "You'll be leaving soon anyway for Jaburo. I heard about it from some soldiers."

"That we are." Said Amuro, remembering that Wakkein had ordered the White Base to be taken to Jaburo before he had them all arrested. Now that they were free, its likely that they'll be bringing the White Base to Jaburo. "Guess this is good bye then."

"Most likely." Said Chan before going into her room. Before she closed it, she smiled at Amuro again with that charming smile of hers. "I hope to see you again. How else are you collecting that debt from me?" She then closed the door, leaving Amuro alone. After snapping himself out of his thoughts, Amuro quickly left, hoping that no one had saw him with Chan. Meanwhile, Bright and Whitley were talking with Wakkein about something, which ended with Wakkein nodded his head.

"Much as I hate to admit it, I have to agree." Said Wakkein. "I'll see if I can spare the necessary personal."

"Thank you, commandant." Said Bright before saluting Wakkein, who did the same. The two White Base Crew members then left, leaving the commandant to think. As they were walking, Whitley spoke to Bright.

"I'm surprised Wakkein is leaving you in charge of the White Base, Bright." Said Whitley.

"As am I, but I think its because of my courage and tenacity." Said bright. "That or he believes captain Paolo and believes I'm the only one capable of effectively commanding the White Base. "

"Possibly." Said Whitley. "Whatever it is, I'll be there for the captain's funeral. He deserves that much from us." Bright nodded in agreement before the two continued their walk to the White Base.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

"Alright, White Base, you're clear to take off." Said Wakkein as he watched the White Base leave for Jaburo with a Salamis cruiser escort.

"Sir, are you sure this was a good idea? Letting kids and junior officers to command the White base." Said a Federation officer.

"No, but it's want Paolo would have wanted." Said Wakkein. "Besides, we can't spare much aside from a handful of soldiers, engineers, and recreational personal to go with them." He then sighed. "This war. Its costing us so many good people that could teach us. ***Sighs*** It's a cruel time to be alive." The Federation officer just nodded in confirmation. Meanwhile aboard the White Base, the crew were preparing the funeral of captain Paolo. The man that had saved them from military court martial. After Bright said a few words to the body, the capsule containing the body of the captain was soon shot to space. A method of funerals that was developed soon after humanity went into space. As this was happening, Whitley went up to Amuro and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Thinking of something?" Asked Whitley.

"My father." Said Amuro with a glum look. "I'm thinking how he didn't get a proper funeral like this along with so many others in Side 7."

"Yes." Said Whitley. "Life is cruel that way. All we can do is to prevent more tragedies like that from occurring. C'mon. I'll lead you to your room. You must be exhausted, considering what happened in the last few hours." Amuro simply nodded as Whitley led him to his quarters. As they were walking, Amuro started a conversation.

"Lot more Federation soldiers here? Yours and Bright's doing?" Asked Amuro as the two entered Amuro's quarters.

"Mostly mine. I was stubborn in having some actual soldiers and trained personal being stationed to the White Base." Said Whitley as the two sat on the bed. "It wouldn't make much sense to not have some actual trained soldiers and engineers to help ease the load on our rather young crew. That and some actually good cooks." Amuro just chuckled at that. "Did you have talks like this with your father?"

"Not really." Said Amuro. "He was always so distant. I can barely a time that we had a true father and son bonding moment between each other."

" ***Sighs* I warned Tem about this."** Thought Whitley. **"But now it seems it's too late for Tem to do anything for this son."**

"Like I said, Amuro, I'm sure he loved you dearly." Said Whitley. "I'm sure after the war, he would have spent more time with you. I saw it in his eyes. How he would look at a picture of you in regret. He obviously cared about you."

"But why didn't he show it?" Asked Amuro.

"People have different ways of showing it." Said Whitley. "Some more better than others. I believe that his way was completing the Gundam and ensuring that peace be restored to the Earth and her colonies." Whitley then sighed. "Then he was killed. I'm sorry that you two had such a distance relationship. If it helps, I know that your mother is still alive on Earth, do you want me there to help you reconnect with her as well as being there for you when you need it?"

"I appreciate the offer, sir, but I think I need to do this on my own." Said Amuro, though he was grateful for the offer.

"I understand. Just don't carry it on just your shoulders when others are willing to help you." Said Whitley. "You're not alone." With that, Whitley got up. "Do you wish to go speak with your friends?"

"Actually, I'm planning on inspecting the Gundam, sir." Said Amuro. "In case the engineers will do anything that can impact my performance on the Gundam."

"A smart decision." Said Whitley. "I'll go to the bridge, I need to talk to Bright." Whitley then patted Amuro on the shoulder. "Whatever happens, I'll be there for you Amuro. I promise." Hearing that made Amuro smile a bit. Nodding his head before leaving the two went their separate ways. Upon arriving at the hangar bay, Amuro was surprised to see the Gundam moving its arms a bit.

"God damn. The eggheads for Project V certainly knew what they were doing." Said one Federation engineer as they inspected the Gundam.

"Yeah. Sucks that's it only us and that cadet." Said another engineer as said cadet was checking the Gundam's cockpit.

"Hey, lay off her. She's earn her spot here. Said the first. The 2nd just raise his hands in surrender before trying to explain himself. As this was happening, Amuro was approaching the Gundam cockpit, which caused Vega to tap on the Gundam's chassis to get the cadet's attention.

"What is it, Vega?" Asked the cadet as she got out of the cockpit, revealing herself to Amuro, who was shocked to hear the voice. Upon seeing the cadet's face, Amuro did a spit take before approaching the cadet, who now turned to see Amuro coming to her. Widening her eyes in shock, the cadet shook off her shock before smiling.

"Chan!? What are you doing here?" Asked Amuro.

"I got assigned to the White Base along with those two and a handful of others." Explained Chan before pointing at the two engineers, who were arguing with each other. She then smiled. "This kind of makes our little secret pointless now, huh?" She then shook her head. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is an act from some higher power." Now out of his stupor, Amuro just smiled.

"You could say that." Said Amuro before looking at the cockpit. "I guess you were doing something in the Gundam, right."

"Yup." Said Chan. "And I must say, it's an extremely fine machine. The masterminds behind Project V knew what they were doing." She then handed Amuro an electronic note pad. "These projections show why the Gundam is superior to the Zaku in every why. First, the reactor allows for more…" As she rambled on, Vega watched as the two teenagers were interacting with each other. He found it strange that, not a few hours ago, Amuro was threatening to turn Chan in for an unauthorized visit to the White Base. Yet now, they were having a friendly conversation, albeit about the Gundam, but still it amazed him at the turnaround from Amuro.

" **Humans are strange beings."** Thought Vega as he watched them talk about the Gundam. Unbeknownst to the AI, however, he himself was being watched by Haro, Amuro's little invention, who was interested at the AI, who was imbedded into the Gundam's systems.

* * *

 **So, for the pairing for Amuro, I spoke to some friends of mine that knew of this site and we talked it over as well as me thinking it over in private, taking their thoughts into consideration. In the end, we decided to go for Chan, which was my intended route, to be Amuro's girlfriend in this fic and beyond because we felt that she deserved to have at least one with her as a main character. We also thought that Sayla should have a large role in this. So, please, place down in the comments on how she can have a big role in this fic. And as a note, I apologize for any of you that wanted someone else to be paired up with Amuro. In hindsight, I should have decided firmly on who Amuro will be with or be single as well as putting her name in the fic summary. As a result, it kind of made people think that Amuro's pairing is up in the air. For that, I apologize. Before I leave, did I do anything wrong in Chan's background. Too cliché? Also, how would you make Chan and Amuro fall in love? And please, can someone answer my question on why the Federation or any other faction in UC didn't attempt to make AIs that's in-universe. (Not forcing anyone to answer it. I'm just curious on your opinions.) On a more positive note, please read, rate, and review. And I'll see you all when I update this thing.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **(10/8/2018)- Realized mistake of spelling Mirai's name. Fixed now**

* * *

"And that's what we need to do to reduce the Gundam's maintenance time." Chan said as she and Amuro along with the two engineers from before were discussing the Gundam along with the other two mobile suits.

"Well, that would save about half an hour of my time." Said one of the engineers named Isaac. His coworker, a man named Al, just nodded.

"But we still need to figure out how to maintain both the Guncannon and Guntank," Al said. "Those two mobile suits are a whole different manner.

"Agreed," Amuro said while looking at the schematics all of them were looking at. "You think we could use some parts made for the Guntank for the Guncannon?"

"I doubt that," Isaac said as he looked at the schematics for the Guntank and Guncannon. "They may share some similar parts, but most of them are made for those suits specifically. I wouldn't recommend doing it."

"I see," Amuro said. The four then decided to focus on the Gundam for now as that was the suit that was being used the most at the time. Meanwhile, the bridge crew was discussing about reentry.

"You think you can do it, Mirai?" Bright asked as Mirai was piloting the ship to its designated course.

"Well, I did it a few times with reentry gliders and capsules, but never on this scale," Mirai said, a bit nervous. "But it shouldn't be much more difficult, right?"

"I don't know," Bright said. To be honest, he was a bit scared of doing reentry with the White Base. He had been told that it was capable of doing such a thing, something that's never before been done with something as big as the White Base, but he still had doubts. He had just hoped that the techies knew what they were doing when they made this ship. "But, let's just go over the procedure again, better safe than sorry." Mirai just nodded before going back to piloting the ship. With that out of the way, Bright looked over to the two responsible for detecting any enemy presence on the White Base's sophisticated radar system. "Anything of note on the scanners?"

"Yes, sir." One of the operators said. "There's a new bogey approaching Char's Musai. It's not giving off any Federation IFF, sir."

"Then it must be another Zeon ship," Bright said with a sigh. "Is it a warship or a supply ship?"

"It's a supply ship, sir." The other operator said. "Its size indicates it's a tugboat, though."

"A tugboat?" Bright asked in confusion. That wouldn't have much in the way of supplies. "Is it carrying anything?"

"Can't tell, sir." The first operator said. "But my guess it'll be Zakus."

"Most likely," Bright said before turning to Sayla. "Sayla! Inform the Salamis that we may have another encounter with Char! And inform the crew to get into combat-ready positions as well as informing Amuro to get into Gundam!" Sayla just nodded before relaying the information.

" **That Char**." Bright thought. " **He's tenacious, even with the condition of his Musai and Zaku.** "

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

"Alright, we're heading out," Char said as he launched with his Zaku. Fortunately, by the time of this sortie, his crew managed to repair his Zaku's main camera and replaced the destroyed leg with a spare one that they got from the destroyed Papua supply ship, so he was as good as ever. "Remember, team. We have to pull back before the atmosphere pulls us in. If that happens, you're as good as dead."

"Sir." Said his last three pilots, the last ones from his entire crew. That Feddie mobile suit did a number on his crew and his pride. He'll have his vengeance this time.

"Dren," Char said. "Get ready to launch the capsule once the Musai is done with its covering fire and be ready to acquire any Zakus."

"Of course, captain," Dren said as he and a few other Zeon soldiers were waiting in the Musai's reentry capsule. "We're ready to launch."

"Good," Char said as he and his new Zakus were getting ready for combat. Once they were close enough, Char gave the order. "Musai! Open fire." With the order received, the Musai opened fire with its mega particle cannons and a barrage of missiles, giving the Zakus a layer of covering fire as well as forcing the White Base to commence evasive maneuvers. "Commu! Deal with the Salamis capsule! The rest of you deal with the Trojan Horse. And if you find that feddie mobile suit, inform me! We'll take it together." The pilots nodded before going to their assigned objectives. Back at the White Base, Amuro was waiting for the all clear to launch, having been informed that he may be needed.

"Alright, Amuro. Be careful." Chan said via a communication link with the Gundam. "If you get pulled into the atmosphere, don't worry. The Gundam has the necessary equipment needed to survive atmosphere."

"Yeah," Amuro said as he checked the manual for reentry with just the Gundam. "I just need to cover it with the heatproof film, right?"

"Right. But don't apply it until you need it. It won't work if it's covered in holes."

"Got it," Amuro said as he put down the manual. "Ready, Vega?"

"Yes," Vega said before the two got a call from Sayla.

"Alright, you two," Sayla said. "Be careful out there. Char had just commenced his assault on us. There's four Zakus out there that we need you to distract or take out. The White Base will cover you as best we can." Hearing that made Amuro widen his eyes in disbelief and shock.

"Four!?" Amuro asked, incredulously. "You mean to tell me that Char got more Zakus already!?"

"Yes," Sayla said after a sigh. "Zeon is tenacious in acquiring the Gundam and this ship. Step onto the catapult once you're ready." Amuro did as instructed and the Gundam was on the catapult. "Watch your altitude or else you're burn up in the atmosphere." Though Amuro was a bit nervous in fighting four Zakus, it calmed his nerves that he wasn't fighting alone as Vega was with him, ready to assist when needed.

"Got it. You got me there, right Vega?"

"I'll inform you when we need to apply the heat film or need to pull back to the White Base," Vega said as the two waited for the catapult to fire, which it soon did, launching them into combat.

"Alright, Vega," Amuro said as he got ready for a fight. "Where's Char?" Vega then opened up a video screen of Char and two more Zakus approaching the White Base. Taking a deep breath, Amuro brought out the scopes and aimed at Char.

" **Damn.** " Amuro thought upon seeing the fixed Zaku. " **He got it repaired in time. This will be a tough fight.** " Upon getting a lock on, Amuro fired the Gundam's bazooka, the warhead speeding its way to the Zakus. Unfortunately, the Zakus spotted the missile in time and dodged it. Upon seeing the Gundam, Char and another Zaku flew over to it while the last one went for the White Base.

"Damn." Amuro said as he got ready for a fight. "Vega, where's the other Zaku?"

"It's engaged with the Salamis capsule." Vega said. Grinding his teeth, Amuro got ready for a fight as the two Zakus approached him. Once they were close enough, the grunt Zaku began to flank Amuro with Chars opening fire with his own bazooka. Seeing the rocket coming at him, Amuro opened fire with the vulcan guns, destroying it with the hail of fire from them. While Char was reloading his bazooka, due to the standard Zaku bazooka being only able to carry just one round before needing to reload, Amuro opened fire with his own bazooka round. Seeing the explosive coming at him, Char dodged the round by flying up. With Amuro distracted with Char, the grunt Zaku brought out his heat hawk and charged at the Gundam. Detecting the incoming Zaku, Vega turned the Gundam's head and fired the vulcan guns at the Zaku. While normally the vulcan guns would do minimal damage to a Zaku's armor, the Zaku was close enough that the few hundred vulcan rounds did significant damage to it once the armor was penetrated. The Zaku was so severely damaged by the vulcan rounds that it started to drift away. It soon exploded a short while after due to the damage to the reactor.

"Nice work." Amuro said as he began to fight with Char while also trying to get closer to the Zaku attacking the Salamis capsule before it destroyed it. Despite a tenacious fight with Char, Amuro managed to get close enough to the Salamis capsule that he was able to fire a shot at the Zaku attacking it. The shot managed to hit the Zaku's shield arm and forced it to disengage, but not before it managed to land a shit on the Salamis capsule. Fortunately, the shot only managed to get a glancing hit, otherwise, the capsule would be ejecting people into the vacuum of space.

"Damn!" Amuro said before contacting the White Base. "Mr. Bright! The Salamis capsule had just been hit!"

"We know," Bright said as he saw the battle unfold between the Gundam and Char. "We're trying to contact them right now. In the meantime, get back here. We'll be entering Earth's atmosphere in a matter of minutes." After giving Amuro the warning, Bright went over to Sayla. "Have we managed to establish contact with the Salamis capsule?"

"It shouldn't take long, Mr. Bright." Sayla said as she worked on it. True to her word, contact was established with the Salamis capsule and the officer in charge, one lieutenant Reed. With communications established, Bright began to speak with Reed.

"Lieutenant Reed! What is the condition of your ship?" Reed just grunted in pain, having been hit by shrapnel caused by the glancing hit, before speaking.

"Damn Zaku managed to land a hit on the capsule. We're patching it up now as we speak, but we won't be able to perform reentry with the capsule. It'll burn up in the atmosphere if we try. We're requesting clearance to dock inside the White Base."

"Understood." Bright said. "We'll provide covering fire as best as we can." Reed just nodded before turning off communications. "Sayla! Inform Amuro to hold of Char and that other Zaku as best he can! And inform whatever personal that aren't preoccupied with other duties to man any remaining gun turrets. We need as much covering fire as we can muster in order to protect the capsule from the remaining Zaku." Sayla just nodded before relaying the orders. With the orders going around the ship, what available crew members were rushing toward whatever gun ports were closets to their stations. In a few minutes, additional gun turrets were manned and began opening fire on the Zaku, which wisely began to back off. With the Zaku suppressed, the Salamis capsule began to commence docking procedures. Once it was lined up with the rear hanger, the laser guiding system of the White Base began to help the capsule in landing inside the White Base. A few tense moments passed before the capsule was safe aboard the White Base, which was soon reported in by the hanger crew to Bright.

"Good work, crew." Bright said before he went back to focusing on the battle and the time limit before re-entry. "How's the situation with Amuro?"

"So far so good." Sayla reported as she monitored the Gundam. "He managed to take out the other Zaku, but Char is putting up a fight. He's got his hands full with him." Bright nodded at the situation before looking at Mirai.

"How long until we enter Earth's atmosphere?" Mirai turned toward Bright before answering.

"Just under three minutes, Bright. This may not be my place to say, but I recommend Amuro to return soon." Bright just nodded in agreement before giving out orders.

"Inform Amuro to get back as soon as possible. We preparing for re-entry!" Sayla nodded before informing Amuro of the situation.

"Understood, Sayla!" Amuro yelled as he dodged a swipe of Char's heat ax. He then grunted when Char tackled him before trying to ram his heat ax into the Gundam's head. Fortunately, Vega fired the Vulcans at him, forcing him to abandon his attack in order to avoid any damage to vital parts of his Zaku. Gritting his teeth, Char was about to attack again when Dren suddenly contacted him.

"Commander Char! You need to retreat now, sir! We're approaching Earth's gravity soon!" Slamming his fist in frustration, Char ordered Crown to retreat but didn't get any confirmation back. With that, Char began to fall back to the capsule. Amuro was about to follow when Vega told him that they needed to leave.

"We can't pursue. We only have less than three minutes to return to the White Base." Vega said as he took control of the Gundam and began to flew back to the White Base. Amuro, however, protested it.

"But we got the heat resistance film. We can take survive re-entry in Earth's atmosphere, right?"

"Possibly, but not without damage and the Gundam is needed for future battles. Especially in the near future." To back up his reasoning, Vega brought up a diagram of the White Base's original flight path, confusing Amuro a bit.

"What's the problem, Vega?" Amuro asked as he looked at the flight path, seeing two flight paths, one yellow and one red. The red showed that original designation of the White Base, which was the Jaburo base, the Federation's main headquarters. The other, however, entered Zeon controlled territory. Putting two and two together, Amuro's eyes widen in horror.

"White Base is entering Zeon controlled territory." Amuro said. Vega gave a sound of confirmation. Sighing in frustration, Amuro just allowed Vega to pilot the Gundam back. As the AI did so, Amuro removed his helmet and held his head. This was becoming too much for him to handle. Back at Side 7, all he thought about doing with the Gundam was trying to defend his home. And when Bright had made him the pilot of the Gundam, he went along with it because there was no one else that could pilot it as he can and because he thought that once the ship and the mobile suits were back in proper Federation hands, he would stop being involved in the war any more than he had to. But now it seems that he's going to be the pilot of the Gundam even longer now, frustrating him. That and combined with several near-death experiences over the course of a few days left him exhausted and stressed.

"Amuro, you're heart rate has increased and your mode has changed drastically. Are you alright?" Vega asked as the Gundam made it inside the White Base's right hanger.

"No, Vega." Amuro said. "I'm just frustrated that I'm going to be a pilot of this mobile suit far longer than I want."

"I understand your frustration." Vega said. "You merely tried to do what you thought was the best option for survival for side 7 and its inhabitants. You never intended to be the pilot of the Gundam for an extended period of time. Unfortunately, we cannot change the past. What we can do now is to just live with our choices and hope for the best. And if you need it, Whitley and I will be there as well as your friends and possible Chan." Nodding his head at that, Amuro thanked Vega for his words before getting out of the cockpit once the Gundam was properly restrained.

"Are you okay, Amuro?" Chan asked as she saw Amuro get out of the cockpit. "It must have been hard taking on four Zakus, one of them being the Red Comet."

"It was rough a few times, but Vega and I pulled through." Amuro said as he looked at Chan before donning a serious expression. "We got a bigger problem now though. We're going into Zeon controlled now." Hearing that made Chan widen her eyes in disbelief.

"What!?" Isaac said as he heard this. "You've got to be kidding me! We missed our intended destination by that much?"

"That attack must have been to divert us from our original destination." Al said grimly. "In case they couldn't capture the ship or destroy it."

"And no doubt they've contacted the Zeon forces on Earth." Chan said, fearfully. "We got to warn the bridge."

"On it." Isaac said as he ran to the nearest communications terminal. "In the meantime, you guys get the Gundam checked as well as the other mobile suits. We're going to need them."

"Right." Al said as he ran toward the Gundam, hoping to inspect it before the inevitable battle comes.

"I'll help." Amuro said, only to be grabbed by Chan.

"You can't." Chan said, looking at him with concern. "You just got back from a battle. You need a break."

"But you guys need as many hands as you can get, right? There's a battle coming soon." Amuro protested.

"I know, but it won't do for our best pilot to fight exhausted. Try and get a quick nap or an energy drink at the least."

"Listen to her, kid." Al said as he began inspecting the Gundam. "Going back out there without some sort of rest or break can prove fatal to someone. Don't worry about us, kid. We can handle this. Now hurry up and do something productive for your health. Or else I'll order you to do so." Amuro just bit his lip in frustration before sighing.

"Alright, but I'll only take an energy drink." Amuro said. "After that, I'm helping."

" ***Sighs*** Better than nothing. Come on. Let's grab you that energy drink." Chan said before leading Amuro out of the hanger and to the mess hall.

* * *

 **Bridge**

* * *

"Are you sure?" Bright asked as he talked with Isaac, one of the new engineers for the White base.

"Positive sir. Unless the AI is faulty, we're entering Zeon controlled territory soon." Isaac said. Bright sighed at that. That was just plain fantastic.

"I see." Bright said. "Ensure that the Gundam is battle ready soon as well as our other mobile suits. We're going to need them soon. And make sure Amuro gets a break. He's earned it."

"Yes sir. We'll make sure the kid gets some sort of break and that the mobile suits will be ready when you need them." With that Isaac cut the channel. Once he did, he turned to Sayla.

"Tell what high-ranking personnel to come here now. That includes Whitley." Bright ordered. Sayla nodded before giving out the order. Sometime later, the highest-ranking officers were present. Lieutenant Reed, Whitley, and the White Base's new security officer, a man named Derick Carmine.

"Alright people, I have some bad news." Bright said as he brought out a map of their original trajectory and their new one. "It appears Char thought ahead in his battle with us. Even though we succeeded in repelling his attack, he managed to veer us off course into Zeon controlled territory."

"And deep, sir." Carmine said as he observed their new trajectory. "If this is accurate, We're going to be near the California base. I reckon that we'll get a massive response force when Char calls it in."

"No doubt about that." Reed said, holding his wounded arm. "We need to think of a defensive strategy soon."

"Agreed." Said Bright before they all began to discuss their game plan.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **RedRat8- Well you learn new things everyday. I've never heard of that. I'll look into it more and see if I can somehow incorporate it into the story. Though, It might not as it wasn't much of a contribution to the 1st neo Zeon war. Anyway, you're right on the logic part. Now we just have to wait until the enemy makes plan to use that against them. As for the newtypes, that is still in the thinking stage right now. But likely, he'll struggle at first, but eventually get used to it.**

 **Also there will be slight spoils for origins. Nothing to major, just a heads up. I'll be trying to incorporate things of Origins into the story. Mostly the little things.**

 **10/13/18- Fixed several writing errors in the story.**

* * *

 **White base**

 **Hanger bay 2**

"Make sure that I don't have any duds, okay. I'll be alone out there." Ryu said as a crewman loaded up missiles and bullets for the core fighter. After an intense discussion between the most experienced and highest-ranking officers on the ship, they all finally made up their minds on what to do. They would first send out the Guntank as the first attack wave would just be comprised of Zeon fighters and, out of all they had, the Guntank was the most capable at dealing with such threats. Once it's out, the Gundam, Guncannon, and a core fighter would launch soon after and provide protection. With the combined power of their mobile suits, they hoped they could do enough damage that the Zeons will pull back, deeming it too costly to press further. It wasn't the most complex plan, but it was the best they had at the moment.

"Whose going to pilot the Guncannon?" Amuro asked as he inspected the Gundam's beam rifle, now fully charged, while Chan inspected the Gundam's Vulcans.

"Me." Kai said as he came toward Amuro and Chan. "They managed to get one of the other guys to pilot the Guntank. Don't know who. So, since I have some experience with piloting a mobile suit, I got selected to be the Guncannon pilot. Tch. Lucky me." He then looked at Amuro, giving him an arrogant smirk. "Can you handle Earth's gravity? Heard that its much different than fighting in space."

"Question is, are you?" Chan asked as she and Amuro looked up at Kai, who simply shrugged at the question.

"Guess we'll find out." Kai said. "Who knows, I might get more kills than you, Amuro." Hearing that made Chan glare at Kai.

"This isn't a game, Kai." Chan said, placing a hand on her hip. "Real people will die out on the battlefield today. That may include you, Amuro, or everyone on this ship. We need you on your best." Kai just held out his hand, still keeping his smirk.

"Relax, ma'am." Kai said. "I'll give it my all. Rather not get captured by the Zeons or be stranded here. Though that may be the case today." With that he went to the Guncannon to get ready.

"The nerve of him." Chan said as she went back to work. "Was he always like that back at side 7?" Amuro recalled the time that Kai managed to get him to tag along with him and his buddies to try and investigate the section of side 7 where the Federation was developing their mobile suits. They got caught and he and his buddies were beaten up as a result. He was, fortunately, spared because of his father. He honestly didn't know if Kai resented him for being spared or not.

"Well his reckless nature got him in trouble with Federation officials before and he can be intrusive at times. Just ignore it Chan. Come on, I need help in adjusting for Earth's gravity." Nodding her head, Chan began to help Amuro with the adjustments. Back at the bridge the entire senior staff was looking out the window to see the Zeon response force. To say they were shocked was an understatement.

"I can't believe that they managed to bring so many forces so quickly." Carmine said as he looked at the approaching enemy. He counted one Gaw assault transport and two squadrons of Dopp fighters escorting it. And he didn't doubt they have ground forces with them.

"Agreed." Bright said as he saw the force they'll be fighting today. He then turned to Sergeant Carmine. From what he could gather from his dossier, the man was in mid-twenties and had participated in some fighting in Earth before being shipped off to space. The fact that he was a sergeant so young made Bright realize how desperate the Earth Federation is. "Sergeant, you have some experience with Zeon's earthbound forces, what can we expect?"

"Truth be told, I don't know." Carmine said as he looked at Bright. "We don't have any intel on ground troops and won't until we exited the atmosphere and get a scan on the ground. Best guess so far is three squadrons of Dopps and three Zakus, maybe six, if the Gaw is full." Bright nodded at this before looking at the holographic map they have on the ground.

"Alright, let's go over the plan again." Bright said as a line appeared between one large dot and another large dot with smaller ones around it. "Any moment now, we'll be attacked by the Dopps. I want heavy AA fire against them at all times. Since the Dopps don't have sufficient armaments to take on a Federation ship, the enemy will likely force us near the ground, which unfortunately we'll have to. The Minovsky craft system just isn't powerful enough to maintain this altitude. So, we have no other choice than to make the enemy pull back due to substantial losses. So once we're near the ground, I want the Guntank to drop off first with the others in launching soon after. The Guntank should be enough to take out the Dopps and if any mobile suits or ground forces approach, the Guncannon and Gundam will take care of them. Hopefully we can hold out enough that the enemy decides to leave us alone for a time."

"Not the greatest plan sir, but it's what we got." Carmine said. "Just hope the Gaw doesn't do anything while this is going on."

"I know. Hopefully the Zeons want the White Base so much that they'll want it as intact as possible." Bright said.

"I still think that the Gundam should deploy first. It's our best weapon and has our best pilot, not to mention the AI onboard." Reed said. Though Reed was far older than Bright and technically a higher rank, Bright was captain of the White Base and would remain so until otherwise said by Federation high command.

"Let me remind you, sir, that Amuro needs rest and the Gundam needs maintenance to ensure that they'll be at tip top shape when the battle comes. Rest assured, sir, the other mobile suits can handle it. Right, doctor Whitley?" Bright said, looking at Whitley at the end, who nodded.

"Though they don't have an AI onboard, lieutenant, both the Guntank and Guncannon are still powerful enough to handle themselves without the Gundam's help. They'll be able to take on any Zeon forces that'll come at us." Whitley said. Though he wasn't convinced, Reed just accepted it and watched the approaching Zeon force.

"Sir, they're launching more Dopps and the ones already out are coming into attack formation." One of the operators said.

"Then its time." Bright said before giving out orders. "Crew get ready! Incoming attack!" With that, Sayla began to give out orders toward those in charge of the gun turrets to open fire, which they soon did once the Dopps were in range. The incoming barrage destroyed several Dopps but the rest began to perform evasive maneuvers and began opening fire with their Vulcans and missiles. Though the missiles performed some minor damage to the ships armor, none of the Dopps weapons were sufficient enough to damage the White Base in a meaningful way. As the battle raged on in the skies, both the White Base and the Gaw were descending toward Earth. As they passed through clouds and saw the Earth itself, some crew members looked in awe of the land, seeing Earth for the first time in their lives. Course, this soon ended when they realized they were still in battle.

"Aright! Prepare to launch the Guntank soon!" Bright said. "Have Hayato and Joe take care of the Dopps. Once they're out get the Guncannon out and order Kai to engage any ground forces he spots. Then launch Amuro and the Gundam soon after. Ryu will go last."

"Mr. Bright. I'm confused." Mirai said as she saw the Gaw wasn't even doing anything. "Why isn't the enemy Gaw not attacking? Don't they all come equipped with mega particle cannons?"

"It appears the enemy wants the ship and the mobile suits completely intact, just like we predicted." Bright said, knowing that it was the only reason the Gaw wasn't attacking.

"They'll never get this ship while we're standing." Reed said as he sat on the captain's chair.

"But that won't stop them from trying." Carmine said as the hanger reported the Guntank just launched and was engaging the Dopps, scoring hits with its missile launcher hands.

 **Hanger bay**

"Alright Guncannon launching!" Al said as the Guncannon was launched into the battlefield with the Gundam launching soon after. Unfortunately, however, upon launching the two mobile suits were dropping far faster than Amuro was used to due to gravity. Vega tried to compensate, but he wasn't trained in Earth-like gravities and so the Gundam went down to the ground once it landed as well as the Guncannon, which tripped once it landed.

"Damn," Amuro said as the Gundam stood up. "We'll have to adjust for Earth's gravity again, huh."

 **"Agreed. I never had much testing involving Earth like conditions."** Vega said before focusing on the battle ahead of them. **"We have under five minutes before potential ground forces engage us and much less if the Gaw launches its complement of Zakus.** "

"Right. We'll focus on the Dopps until then." Amuro said before he went into formation with the Guntank with Kai following soon.

"Damn gravity." Kai said as he struggled to pilot the Guncannon. "This is much more difficult than the Guntank." Seeing that Amuro was having less difficulty than him, though still having slight problems, he contacted the Gundam. "So is Vega helping out with adjustments."

"Yeah." Amuro said as the two got near the Guntank, which was firing shots at the Dopps, who were beginning to fall back. "Though we still need to make adjustments. The gravity is much stronger here than in a colony." He then cut the link with Kai before contacting the Hayato. "Is everything alright, Hayato?"

"So far so good." Hayato said as he kept his eye on the scope of the Guntank. "Dopps are pulling back. Think we got ground troops coming soon." He then checked his sensors to see if anyone is coming." They all received an incoming transmission from Bright.

"Alright you four, Ryu will be coming soon to support you with the Dopps, protect him and the White Base should any Zeon tanks and mobile suits arrive. Once I give the signal, push forward, try and force the Zeons into pulling back. Once they do so, we'll try to reach the Pacific Ocean into Federation controlled airspace." Bright said as he monitored the battle field.

"Roger that." Amuro said with Kai and Hayato doing the same. After disconnecting the transmission, Amuro spoke up. "Let's get ready guys. This could prove a challenge."

"Yeah. Three mobile suits and one fighter against god knows how many Zeon forces they have left?" Kai said, doubt creeping in his thoughts. "We're doing to lose some people."

"Not if we stick together." Hayato said as he monitored the sensors, hoping he could catch some Zeons before they attacked. "We just need to cover each other's backs and we'll make it." Before Kai could retort, the three mobile suits were suddenly hit with a barrage of fire, sending them to an alert status.

"What was that!?" Kai yelled as he brought out his beam rifle, scanning the area for the enemy. He soon spotted a group of Zeon tanks coming right at them firing their main gun and machine guns at them. Unlike traditional tanks, however, the Zeon tank had a large canopy-style cockpit and had a taller profile than the Federation one. Most likely due to the Zeon's lack of knowledges in atmospheric combat. "Shit. Magella attack tanks incoming!" Kai then fired the Guncannon's shoulder guns at them, destroying several tanks before they managed to open fire on them again. Fortunately, the mobile suits were ready this time and Amuro placed the Gundam in front of the Guntank to protect it with its shield. Once the barrage was done, he moved out of the way and allowed the Guntank to open fire, suppressing the tanks.

"No mobile suits yet." Amuro said as he opened fire with the Guncannon and the Guntank, forcing the Magellas to retreat. "I thought Zeons normally deploy the Magellas with Zaku support."

"Maybe they got cocky and went in without them. Or maybe they just don't have them." Said Hayato, hope in his voice.

" **Negative, the Gaw is beginning its descent to the ground. I believe its dropping its contents now."** Said Vega.

"Then we need to get ready." Amuro said before relaying the information to Bright, who told them to be on standby.

" **Zakus are approaching, three of them, along with Magella escorts. And I'm detecting Dopps as well.** " Vega said after several minutes. Bright, upon seeing the amount of forces assembled against them, felt a moment of doubt before steeling himself. Waiting for a few seconds he gave the order to advance. With that, their mobile suits began to advance with the Core fighter and White Base providing cover fire. Seeing the incoming mobile suits, the Zeon forces opened fire.

"Alright, you Zeons, eat this!" Kai yelled before firing his beam rifle and shoulder cannons at them, scoring hits at several Magella tanks. Seeing that the Guncannon was doing damage to their forces, the Zakus focused fire on him while ordering the Dopps to assist while the Magellas focus on the others.

"Kai!" Yelled Hayato before opening fire on the Zakus, forcing one to pull back. Still it wasn't enough, as Kai was beginning to panic from all the fire he was getting from the Dopps and Zakus. He soon started to panic fire, firing all his weapons at the enemy, most of which ignore it as most of Kai's rounds were war off.

"Kai! Calm down!" Amuro yelled. Seeing that Kai wasn't listening, Amuro opened fire on one Zaku with the beam rifle, destroying it and taking out a few Magellas that were caught in the explosion. Shocked that the Gundam just destroyed one of the Zakus with just one shot, the Zeon forces began to retreat to regroup, giving them some breathing room. Taking this opportunity, Amuro went over to Kai and the Guncannon, which was sitting on the ground. Helping the Guncannon up, Amuro began to talk to Kai. "You alright?" After a few seconds, Kai snapped out of it and began to shake his head.

"Yeah. Thanks man." Said Kai, feeling a bit weird in saying thanks, but ignored it, knowing that Amuro deserved it. "You saved me."

"No problem." Said Amuro. "Just be careful. We need to stick together." Nodding his head, Kai put himself together before following the other two mobile suits in pushing the enemy. Meanwhile, in the enemy Gaw, the enemy commander was monitoring the battlefield while twirling his purple hair. Despite him being in his twenties, the man was a captain in the Zeon occupational forces. That was because this man was Garma Zabi, the youngest son of the Sovereign of Zeon, Degwin Zabi.

"Hmm. This could prove more challenging than I thought." Said Garma as he went into thought. When Char had told him about the new Federation space ship and mobile suits, he told him they were Zeon cross material as well as telling him they cost him eight Zakus. At first, Garma thought he was kidding, but upon seeing the damage they could do, he now saw that Char wasn't kidding. Looking at his forces, he saw he still had around twenty-five Dopps, two Zakus, and fifteen Magella tanks. He also had ten tanks behind the mountains, waiting for the Fedeartion to pass them so they could hit it from behind. Thinking carefully, he wondered where to best set his troops in order to get more data on the enemy and possible even capture one of their mobile suits. After a few minutes he decided. "Order the Zaku and the Magellas to attack the enemy mobile suits again via a pincer move while the Dopps and the reserve tanks coverage on the enemy ship, force them to divide their forces."

"Yes sir." Said one of the pilots before relaying the orders. As he did so, Gara began to think.

" **This ship may prove to be a real beast."** Thought Garma. " **I'm going to need more men for this."**

Back at the battlefield, the three Federation mobile suits were pushing forward, wondering why they haven't encountered any enemies.

"Where are they?" Hayato asked as he scanned the area for enemy forces. "Vega, you got anything?"

" **The enemy is just up ahead, but they're just standing still."** Vega said.

"Standing still?" Amuro asked, confused. "Are they in a defensive position?"

" **Negative. They're just standing still."** Vega then brought up a screen showing the Zakus and Magella tanks in two groups, one Zaku in each. Observing the groups, Amuro wondered what they are doing.

"Any ideas?"

" **They're possible trying a pincer move. Force us to divide our troops so it'll be easier for them to engage us."**

 **"** That could be it." Hayato said. "My judo classes taught me that if you catch your enemy off balance, a smaller guy can beat a bigger guy."

"Yeah, that's great and all, but what about the Dopps?" Kai asked as he looked up. "Where are they?"

"That's a good question." Amuro said before contacting Ryu. "Do you see any Dopps in the area Ryu?"

"Negative on that, guys." Ryu said as he was flying around the White Base. "Last I saw them, they were pulling back with the ground troops. I'll keep an eye out for them."

"Got it." Amuro said before relaying the info back to the others. "So, what are they waiting for?"

" **Unsure. I'll scan the area for any hostiles trying to ambush us, but the range is limited due to the Minovsky particles in the area. Its entirely possible, however, that they have men behind the mountains there."** Vega said before pointing to a formation of mountains that the White Base will be passing soon. **"They could be waiting until the White Base passes those mountains so that the men hidden there can attack the rear, forcing us to divide our forces to those in front of us and those behind us. And that's not counting the Dopps."**

"Think that's possible?" Asked Kai as he looked at the mountains.

" **Possibly. Between the mountains themselves and the Minovsky particles in the area, I can't get a good reading on what's behind those rocks."**

"Alright, I'll inform Bright of this." Amuro said before contacting Bright. "Mr. Bright, I think we figured out the enemies battle strategy."

"Go ahead Amuro." Bright said as he surveyed the battlefield, wondering why the enemy wasn't attacking.

"Well, this is just a theory came up by Vega, but he believes that the Zeon have forces in the mountains nearby. Once we pass them, he thinks the Zeon forces there will attack with the ones ahead of us soon after." Bright held his chin once Amuro said that.

"That seems like a good strategy." Carmine said. "Although it could just be a ruse as well. They could just be trying to fool us into believing that there are troops there, so we send troops to deal with a nonexistent threat." Reed agreed with both ideas.

"I'm with the sergeant, Bright." Reed said. "The Minovsky particles would have disrupted anything we have that can detect anything behind those mountains. Plus, both are effective strategies, especially with what we got. Still I recommend sending a mobile suit out the check, just in case." Bright nodded, agreeing with both of them. Now he was debating on how to assign to defend the rear. The Guntank was needed to push forward and someone needed to help it out with the Zakus. Ryu also had to be on the lookout for the Dopps. That left Amuro and Kai. One on hand, Amuro and Vega would have no problem with dealing with the possible hidden troops behind the mountains, but he didn't know if there were even hidden troops at all. This all could just be a ploy by the enemy to weaken their frontlines. If that was the case, then he will need his best men there, that being the Gundam and its two occupants. That left Kai. Although he panicked during the fight and will most likely again if he sent him alone, it seemed to be the best he could do at the moment.

"Have Kai be sent to the rear of the ship. Tell him that he'll receive support from the ship should any enemies come from the mountains. And if there's nothing, then have him be sent back to the frontlines." Sayla then relayed the orders to Kai, who replied with a sarcastic quip.

"Great. Send me to a potential meat grinder with just machineguns for covering fire." Kai said before doing what he was told.

"You'll be okay Kai?" Hayato asked, concerned for his crewmate.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Kai said.

"You won't panic again like last time?" Amuro asked, watching the Guncannon left for the rear.

"Yeah, don't worry. Won't happen again. But if it does, then you can kiss my ass goodbye." With that, Kai began to ran to the rear of the ship.

"Hope he'll be fine." Hayato said as the two remaining mobile suits advanced on the enemy troops in front of them.

"Same." Amuro said. Though he and Kai didn't get along well much back at side 7, he lost enough people back at side 7 to lose another today. "I'll deal with the Zakus. You deal with the tanks."

"Got it and I'll deal with the Dopps should any come." Hayato said. Amuro nodded before the two, well three, got ready for a fight. Kai, meanwhile, was grumbling to himself. How the hell did he got caught up in this. He was just minding his own business when all of the sudden the colony was attacked by the Zeons, forcing him into hiding. Then, when all the fighting was done, he was forced, along with the rest of the survivors to leave his home. Now hes a soldier in the Federation military, fighting a war that he wanted no part of nor cared about. Oh, how he wished he could just go back and get in trouble for basic trespassing and offensives with his friends, who were likely dead from the Zeon attack. With them gone, all he had for familiar faces were Amuro and Hayato, both of whom he barely even knew. And he was pretty sure that Amuro disliked him for the times he interrogated him for information of his dad's work. But…he saved him when he was under so much fire from the Zeon task group, even asking him if he was alright.

" **He just did that because he needs as much help as possible. He doesn't actually care about you. And none of the crew does either.** " Kai thought as his cynicism kicked in. Those on the ship that originated of side 7 either didn't care about him or hated him due to his actions back at side 7. And those who weren't were just Federation soldiers that only cared about getting the ship and mobile suits back to Federation hands. After that, they'll discard them once their use was over.

" **Maybe you could change that. Make some new friends with the crew. They're in the same position as you."** A small part of him said to him as he piloted the Guncannon to the rear of the White Base. Sighing in annoyance, he was about to tell his subconscious to shut it when the radar detected movement ahead of him. Snapping into focus, Kai looked in front of him to see ten enemy tanks coming from behind the mountains and opening fire on the ship, but due to their stiff positioning of their guns, they couldn't aim properly at the ship.

"Guess Vega was right." Kai said as he opened fire at the tanks, taking out three with both his shoulder cannons and beam rifle. The other seven saw the Guncannon and focused on it. They all fired, but the Guncannon ducked to avoid the fire. Not wanting them to fire again, Kai opened fire on the tanks, destroying two more. "Damn. This is a lot easier when its just the tanks." He then fired the beam rifle, taking out another one. The remaining four tanks then began to pull back, firing their reloaded guns at the Guncannon. They hit, but due to the Luna Titanium armor that the Guncannon was outfitted with, they didn't do much, though they did rattle the cockpit a bit. "Damn." Kai then examined the systems of the Guncannon, amazed that nothing was damaged. "Man. Those feddie engineers knew what they were doing." Kai then radioed in that he taken out the enemy ambush, but that there are survivors.

"Understood." Bright said. "Good work. Stay there and deal with the rest. They may try again." After disconnecting the connection with Kai, he turned to Sayla. "How's it going with Hayato and Amuro."

"Not good sir." Sayla said. "The enemy has them completely surrounded and suppressed. Twelve Dopps have broken off from the main group and began strafing runs against them. Ryu is trying to help, but he's got his hands full with dealing with the rest."

"Damn." Bright swore as he wondered what to do.

"Bright we need to get the Guncannon back there." Reed said as he saw the battle in front of them. "Those two mobile suits can't handle that much firepower."

"But we'll be leaving our rear exposed. And we don't know if they're more out there!" Bright argued, not willing to let their rear be exposed again.

"I know that." Reed said. "But if we don't get some reinforcements out in the front, the enemy will be able to destroy both the Gundam and Guntank."

"I agree with the lieutenant, Bright." Whitley said. "They need someone to give them some breathing room." Carmine then joined in.

"It's a risk, sir, but it needs to be done or else we'll lose this battle." Carmine said. Bright just gritted his teeth as he was being pressured by the three older men. Taking a deep breath and praying that they're right, Bright ordered Kai to help the Guntank and Guncannon. With that done, Bright watched as the battle continue to rage between their mobile suits and the Zeon task group.

"God damnit!" Hayato yelled as he tried to put up a barrage of fire against the Zeons, but they were undeterred, advancing slowly against them, firing all the way. "Amuro, we need to pull back! They us surrounded! We can't keep this up!"

"We can't, Hayato!" Amuro yelled as Vega returned fire at the Zeons, scoring a hit against a tank, but the Zeons were still advancing. "They got us pinned down!"

" **Warning! A few more minutes of this and they'll be able to penetrate the armor of the Guntank and Gundam!"** Vega warned as the Zeons advanced. " **We need support or charge right at them! Retreat is all advised!"**

"But we can't charge at them. That'll expose us to more enemy fire." Hayato argued before grunting from a missile attack from Dopps. Once he recovered, he saw a Zaku charging at him with a heat hawk. "Oh no! Joe pull back!" The Guntank tried to pull back, but it was too slow to do so. It was only a matter of time before the Zaku came in and disabled the Guntank. That is if the Gundam didn't intervene.

"No, you don't!" Amuro yelled before tackling the Zaku, knocking it to the ground. He then slammed the shield into the cockpit, killing the pilot. Before he could pull the shield out, the remaining Zeons opened fire at him, seizing the opportunity. The resulting rounds being exploded in such a high frequency, caused Amuro to shake around the cockpit before being knocked temporarily unconscious. Seeing his pilot was down, Vega pulled out the shield and began to slowly fall back, returning fire and trying to both cover him and the Guntank with the shield.

" **Amuro is out of action. Requesting support."** Stated Vega as he destroyed a few tanks with accurate fire.

"Damn Zeons!" Yelled Hayato as he put up a barrage, suppressing them. "Ryu! We need help now!"

"I can't guys!" Ryu yelled as he dodged fire from the Dopps. "These Dopps are all over me!" He then dodged another missile. "White Base! Requesting assistance!" He soon got it in the form of antiaircraft fire, forcing the Dopps to pull away. "The White Base will be expose if I don't help it out and I doubt I got anything to deal with that Zaku." Hayato cursed before contacting Kai.

"Kai. We need help!"

"I'm on my way! Hang in there!" Kai yelled as he rushed toward the front. A few seconds later, Amuro recovered and looked at the battlefield. It was going awful for them. If something wasn't done soon, they'll lose this battle.

" **They're not going to win."** Thought Amuro before taking the controls. **"I won't let them."** "Vega! I'm taking over. Don't try and stop me! Hayato. Move in after me. I'm charging them!"

"Wait what!?" Hayato yelled before he saw Amuro charge in, discarding his shield and beam rifle. "Amuro!" Seeing that he wasn't getting through him, he ordered Joe to move forward before beginning to open fire on the enemy, who were shocked to see the Gundam charging at them despite the amount of fire they gave it. Before they could recover, Amuro brought out both his beam sabers before beginning to cut through the Magella tanks, causing chaos among the Zeon ranks. They tried to attack, but the fury of the Gundam was immense, destroying all that came before it. The remaining Zaku took aim at the Gundam and was about to open fire when he was suddenly hit with in the sides, blowing him up.

"What? You guys forgot I was here?" Kai asked sarcastically as he charged forward to support Amuro, amazed at what he was doing. "Whoa. Kind of going overkill, huh Amuro?" A few seconds later, after a few more casualties, the Zeon commander decided enough was enough and pulled everyone back.

"We did it! We broke them!" Hayato commented as the Zeon stragglers were retreating. He was about to congratulate Amuro when he spotted the Gundam viciously attacking the ground with the beam sabers.

"Uh…Amuro. That's enough." Kai said, unnerved with what he's seeing.

" **Let him vent. I'm afraid its needed."** Said Vega through the communicator. Kai and Hayato looked uneasily, but followed what Vega said. Eventually, Amuro stopped and the Gundam fell to its knees, almost as if it was exhausted.

"You okay, Amuro?" Kai asked, going over to him. He heard heavy breathing through the comm links before he heard a response.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Amuro said before piloting the Gundam back to the White Base. The Guntank and Guncannon looked at each other, their pilots unsure if he was truly alright, before following suit. Meanwhile, at the bridge, Bright was holding his head.

"Well we fought off that attack wave, but there's going to be more soon." Bright said as everyone nodded in agreement. "We need to find a way to contact Federation headquarters. Tell them of our situation."

"We won't be able to, sir." One of the operators said. "Zeons are jamming our long range transmissions. We won't be able to call for help."

"I know." Bright said. "That's why I need suggestion on cutting through their jamming. For now, though, let's take a break. We all need it after the last few days." Everyone just nodded in agreement before going back to their posts or letting someone else take over. Seeing that Bright was unoccupied, Carmine went up to him and spoke with him.

"Sir." Carmine said before saluting.

"Yes sergeant?" Bright asked.

"It's nothing personal sir, but I would like to speak with you alone. If that's alright." Raising an eyebrow at that, Bright nevertheless agreed. Telling Mirai that Reed is in charge until he gets back, he escorted Carmine out of the bridge and to a empty hallway.

"What is it sergeant? Is something bothering you?" Bright asked.

"Not me, sir. It concerning you." Carmine replied, making Bright blink.

"What?"

"It's about what happened during the battle, sir. You seem to have frozen up when we teamed up against you." Carmine said.

"Ah. That." Bright said. "Rest assured, sergeant, that won't happen again."

"With respect, sir. I just want to give advice."

"Advice?" Bright said, curious. "What kind of advice?"

"Well, this may or may not agree with you sir, but you need to be firmer in your stance on what we should do. You gave in too quickly to our argument. That's not good for moral if the captain is that easy to persuade."

"Are you saying I'm easily persuaded? Bright asked, unsure if he should be offended or not.

"He means that you should be firmer in what you think is right, Bright." Whitley said as he entered their conversation. "Apologies for bargaining in, I saw you two go out and was curious. What the sergeant is saying, Bright, is that you're our leader. The crew looks up to you and trusts you to decide the best course of action. If they see you give to pressure that easily, they might start to doubt your ability to lead. So, the sergeant is asking you to be firmer in your stances. Don't give in too easily unless it undeniable that an alternate route to your original plan is a much better plan to take." Bright just looked at the wall before sighing.

"I understand what you're both saying, and I appreciate it." Bright said. "To be honest, I'm not sure if I'm cut out for this sort of thing. Leading a bunch of young men and women into hostile controlled territory with no support from the Federation. It's kind of daunting really."

"Understandable sir." Carmine said. "But that's just the way things are now. And you must take the plate. The people here look up to you."

"I know." Bright said tiredly. He then sighed. "I'll take your advice sergeant. For now, I'd like to meet our brave pilots."

"Same. In fact, I was actually going there to congratulate them." Whitley said. With that the two men dismissed the sergeant and went to the hanger. As they were walking, however, Amuro was walking toward his room. The look of exhaustion clear on his face. To make matters worse, three kids came up with a cart of food, making large amount of noise.

"Victory party!" A young girl yelled, banging two pans together.

"Come on, Amuro. Celebrate with us." Said the boy pushing the cart.

"Yeah come on! You earned it." Said the last boy. Getting sick at the noise, Amuro snapped at the kids.

"Leave me alone! I want to be left alone!" With that he opened his door and slammed it shut, shocking everyone.

"Meanie!" Yelled the girl before sticking her tongue out.

"Forgive him. He's simply exhausted." Whitley said as he gently push the littles ones away. "Why don't you go and celebrate with the other pilots. They should be hungry." Fortunately, the kids agreed and rush toward the hanger. "Oh dear. I'm afraid Amuro is suffering fatigue."

"It's understandable." Bright said. "The kid had to do two sorties in a sort amount of time with minimal rest."

"You need to give him a break, Bright. He won't perform his best if he's exhausted." Whitley said.

"I know." Bright said. "Don't worry. I'll try and give him as much sleep as we can possibly give him."

"That's the best we can do." Whitley said. "I need to talk to Vega. See if he can tell me more on what to do with Amuro. I just don't know how to deal with teenagers." Bright nodded before the two went to the hanger.

 **Half an hour later**

Amuro was putting on his uniform when he heard a knock on his door. Taking a deep breath, he opened it, seeing Kai, Hayato and Chan there.

"What's up?" Amuro asked as the three stood there.

"Well, we wanted to talk about the battle." Hayato said.

"You mean my freak-out?" Amuro clarified. Seeing them nod made him sigh. "Looks guys, I really appreciate you guys wanting to talk with me. I really do, but it's in the past. Can't we just let it go?"

"Well, we would, but we're concerned for you." Chan said. "And as crewmates it our job to look out for each other, right. Besides, Kai wanted to speak to you. Right, Kai." Kai just closed his eyes before sighing.

"Yeah." Kai said. "Mind letting us in?" Seeing no harm in it, Amuro allowed them in and closed the door behind them. Taking a seat on the bed, Amuro looked at them.

"What is it Kai?" Amuro asked. Kai looked a bit uncomfortable for a moment before Chan elbowed him.

"I wanted to say thanks for saving my butt out there." Kai said. "I honestly would have died out there if it weren't for you. So…I owe you one."

"Oh." Amuro said, surprised at this. He never thought Kai would say thanks to him for saving his life. He didn't seem to be the type to do so. "It's no problem. Just looking out for the crew."

"Yeah. Just wanted to let you know, that I'll do the same if you ever need it." Kai said.

"Same here." Hayato said. "I'll be there if you need it."

"And I'll do the same." Chan said. "Well, the more technical situations anyway. And maybe as a shoulder to lean on?" Amuro just smiled at them before thanking them.

"Thanks guys." Amuro said. "That means a lot." He then got up. "If you don't mind, I kind of want to go to the mess hall. Haven't eaten much since going out there."

"Oh, how much I wanted you to say that." Kai said with a smile. "We should get going now. The food getting cold. And I rather not eat cold military food. Yuck."

"Now that's something we can all agree on." Chan said before the four left for the mess hall.

 **California base.**

Garma Zabi was walking toward the apartment building that Char was currently using. He needed to speak to him about the new Federation ship and mobile suits. He needed as much information as possible if they're going to acquire them. Walking inside the apartment, he heard the sound of running water. Seeing that Char was using the shower, Garma just took a seat on a chair.

"Char we need to talk." Garma said as he waited for a response.

"I assumed it's about the new enemy warship?" Char asked as he showered.

"It is. I guess I underestimated your warning. It's truly worthy of the Zeon cross. Maybe even more. I'm going to need as much information as possible if you're going to succeed in capturing both the ship and the mobile suits it carries. You'll provide, right?"

"I'll try. Not much I know that you don't already know."

"Every bit helps." Garma said before getting up. "Be at the briefing room tonight. We have a lot to plan ahead in the coming days."

"Of course. It'll be good to work with you again."

"Likewise. Enjoy your shower." Garma said before taking off. Unknown to him, Char let out a small savage smile.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **RedRat8- Yes I have heard that having someone to be there for you can actually help a soldier during wartime. As for the question, yes. He'll get a new suit. No going to spoil which one it is though.**

 **11/8/18- Fixed some writing errors.**

* * *

"Are you ready you two?" Bright asked as Kai and Amuro were in their respective mobile suits.

"We're good to go, Bright." Amuro said, waiting for the signal.

"Let's just get this over with, sir. The mess hall is serving soon and I want first dips." Kai said as he waited in the other hanger.

"You'll get the signal soon." Bright said, ignoring what Kai said, before speaking with the AI. "Vega, are you ready?"

" **Affirmative, sir."** Vega said while remotely controlling a core fighter from the Gundam. "Just send the word and I'll send the core fighter out."

"Good." Bright then turned toward the operators. "Have you pinpointed the location of the Zeon patrol forces?"

"Yes. We're uploading the coordinates to the mobile suits now." One of the operators said. Bright nodded and saw that everyone was ready.

"Operation is a go. Vega get ready." Hearing that, the Gundam and Guncannon walked to the edges of the hangers before using their thrusters to get on top of the ship. Once there, they quickly looked around for the Zeon patrol ships before quickly gunning them down.

"They're down." Amuro said. "Launch the core fighter."

"Roger that! Launching core fighter!" Isaac yelled before the core fighter launched.

"This better work." Kai said as he watched the core fighter being launched into the upper atmosphere. "I betted a lot of money into this."

"You actually betted if the core fighter can actually do this?" Amuro asked, disapproval in his voice. "And there's actually a betting going on?"

"Oh yeah. You wouldn't believe it. Anyway, think this can work Vega?"

"Indeed. The intensity of Minovsky particles isn't as dense in the upper atmosphere as on the ground. And without the added detriment of Zeon jamming, A transmission might be able to get through. Albeit, weakly." Vega said as he steered the core fighter toward the upper atmosphere.

"Well, that's good enough for me. I just napped a hundred bucks." Kai said with a laugh.

"That much money?" Amuro asked incredulously. "How many people participated?"

"More than I thought. More than I thought."

"Stow it, you two." Bright said, hearing their conversation. "And be at the ready. The Zeons may try and send a someone to check up on what happened to their scouts."

"Right. Sorry." Amuro said as he and Kai went into defensive position on the White Base. Meanwhile, on the bridge, Bright was speaking to Al and Chan.

"You sure this will work?" Bright asked.

"Positive, sir." Al said before bringing up a paper for him to see. "Though Vega was primarily made for the Gundam, we believe that it can manually control a fighter or something on the ship if retrofitted correctly. Or if it has weak firewalls."

"And since we needed some way to get a transmission out, we thought this would be a good test." Chan said.

"Well, I don't approve of on the field testing, it looks like it was unharmful." Whitley said. "Plus, it could be beneficial to us."

"Agreed." Bright said. "But are you sure, he can get a transmission out?"

"Of course. He has access to the core fighter's communication lines. If there's not that many Minovsky particles out, he should be able to get a message out." Al said.

"I guess we'll have to hope. You're dismissed." Chan and Al then saluted Bright before leaving. As they were leaving, Carmine was approaching Bright.

"Sir, I would like to report about the crew and refugees." Carmine said.

"What is it?" Bright asked, waiting for his report.

"The crew is performing in optimal levels." Carmine reported. "We're not having much dissidents from them. From the refuges, however, we may have a problem." Hearing that caused Bright to look at him. That wasn't good.

"What's exactly the problem?" Bright asked.

"It was only a passing comment, sir, but one of my men caught the civvies complaining about not feeling the ground of Earth. It was nothing serious, but eventually, complaints like this were happening more frequently. People are starting to complain openly sir when they think my men aren't around." Carmine explained. "Fortunately, Miss Fraw Bow told me about this."

"Just what we need." Bright said with a sigh. "Keep an eye on the dissidents but do it discreetly. We can't afford a mutiny. I'll talk with them once this is over." Carmine saluted before leaving. With him gone, Bright began to focus on the task in hand.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **California base**

* * *

"Astonishing," Garma said as he saw the data they managed to get from the enemy mobile suits during their last encounter. "It isn't much, but even with this, its clear the Federation has created mobile suits more powerful than our Zakus." Char just nodded, thinking something else. The white mobile suit. Something about that mobile suit seemed off. At one point it managed to get an accurate shot off that crippled his mobile suit, yet in another it acted like a complete amateur, making rookie mistakes. Something was off. And he had a hunch.

 **"Could the Federation have installed an artificial intelligence in the white one? Would make sense on why it sometimes fights like a veteran and a rookie at times. Plus, it would seem like something a Feddie would do."** Char thought. Before he could tell Garma his theory, a Zeon soldier suddenly barged right in.

"Forgive me, sir, but we have a situation." The soldier said.

"What's wrong?" Garma asked, wondering what's the situation. "Is it guerillas again?"

"No sir, it's about the patrol planes that were sent to keep an eye on the Trojan horse. They suddenly stopped transmitting." That caused both Char and Garma to look at each other. That only meant one thing. The Federation must have destroyed them. But how? The patrol planes were told to keep a distance so they won't be spotted and shot down. How did the Federation spot them so quickly that their soldiers couldn't warn them or break away?

"That's unfortunate." Garma said. "Now we won't know what they're attempting to do until we get another plane to spy on them."

"Not necessarily." Char said. "Get me an altitude chart with the Trojan horse's last known location." A few minutes later a chart showed up in the largest computer in the room, showing Char's requested information. "Now add in the last few reports from the spy planes." Several dots then appeared that were below the Trojan horse, showcasing that it was getting higher and higher.

"Are they attempting to break through our jamming?" Garma questioned, seeing that data suggested so.

"Possibly." Char said. "It does seem like it." He then turned to Garma. "I'll try and figure out what they're trying to do. Can you get a response force to back me up?"

"Of course, but it won't be much. Just Dopps." Garma said.

"That'll do. I'll get ready immediately." Char was about to leave when he remembered his theory. "Oh, and Garma. Look into the white mobile suit more than the others. I fear it has something." Garma raised an eyebrow.

"Something? What exactly?"

"Its just a theory, but if its true, then we have a major problem." Char then left, leaving Garma to wonder what Char was talking about.

"Always somysterious." Garma said with a chuckle before ordering a response force to go with Char and for his technicians to focus on the white mobile suit.

* * *

 **White base**

* * *

Amuro and Kai were patiently waiting for Vega to return with the core fighter and hopefully good news. As time passed, Amuro decided to speak with Kai, turning on a private connection.

"Hey Kai. Got a minute?" Amuro asked.

"Oh, I got plenty to spare." Kai retorted, bored out of his mind. "After all, we're just standing on top of this ship, waiting for an AI to call for help from a government that's losing a war with one of its, now rogue, sides, despite a large numbers advantage." Shaking his head at Kai's remark, Amuro spoke to him.

"How come I never heard from your parents?" Amuro asked, recalling that all he ever heard about Kai's parents were that they would be disappointed in him. He never saw or even met them in person.

"Eh," Kai said, not seeing any reason not to tell Amuro. "No point in not telling you. Dad was an engineer that died during the first month of battle. Mom never got over it and died in a car accident, so I was left to fend for myself." Amuro was shocked to hear that, feeling bad for Kai.

"Sorry about bringing it up." Amuro said. He knew the pain of losing a parent, but both? That must have been hard for Kai.

"Eh, don't be. Dad would have killed me if I didn't move on from his death. Well maybe mom might have stopped him, but who knows." Kai said. "Besides, got enough good memories of them to know that they'll actually be proud of me. Well, maybe not the delinquent stuff." The Guncannon then turned toward the Gundam. "Got fond memories of yours? Heard your dad is dead, but nothing about your mother."

"My father died during the Zeon attack on side 7, but mom is safe on Earth. Thank god." Amuro said, before thinking about some fond memories of his dad. "Yeah. I remember the time that dad helped me fix this car engine we were working on. When we got it fixed, we went out and got ice cream."

 **"*Laughs*** Nothing like having ice cream with your old man to know you got good memories of him. Same here, but instead we got steak for dinner, which is a whole lot better than ice cream. That can actually fill you up." Kai said before laughing, which was joined by a small chuckle by Amuro. Once they stopped, Kai asked a question. "Hey, going to visit your mother after this?"

"Well, maybe. I don't know if she'll be in my hometown. She could have moved, or the town got destroyed because of the war."

"Yeah. Well, here's hoping that the only living parent between us is still alive." Kai said before banging the head of the Guncannon, causing Amuro to shake his head in amusement. They were about to continue their conversation when they heard Vega.

"Not to interrupt your conversation, but the core fighter is on its way back." Vega said as the two saw that the core fighter was on its way.

"Were you overhearing our conversation, Vega?" Kai asked as he saw the core fighter approaching.

 **"I have no choice. The engineers didn't remove my processors from the Gundam. They just established a connection between the Gundam and a core fighter. And while I was piloting the fighter, I'm still in the Gundam, which means that I was overhearing the conversation."** Vega said.

"You're not going to tell Bright about this, right?" Amuro asked, rather not get a rant from Bright about protocol.

 **"There was no harm done from doing that. I won't report it so long as you don't let it happen again."** Vega said.

"Damn. This AI is a lot better than my old teacher." Kai said before returning to work. The two mobile suits were about to get back in the hanger when Vega suddenly spoke.

 **"Warning. Dopp fighters and a reentry capsule approaching behind the core fighter."** With that, the two pilots went into action. Magnifying their view screens past the core fighter, they saw that Dopps and a reentry capsule was approaching.

"I'll contact the bridge about this. Kai, when they get close, deal with them." Amuro said before contacting the bridge.

"Hey, you're not in charge." Kai said before doing what he was told. "Why in the hell would the Zeon send a reentry capsule? Those things aren't meant for combat." Once they were in range of his beam rifle, Kai opened fire, forcing the Dopps to perform evasive maneuvers. The reentry capsule, however, just went up, confusing Kai. "The hell?" Kai than focused on the Dopps as they pressed forward, destroying a few with the Guncannon's Vulcans.

"Understood, Amuro. I'll have gun crews notified." Bright said before shouting out orders. "Put everyone on level one battle stations! We have incoming Dopps." Everyone then began to take their stations, ready for anything that the enemy will throw at them.

"Somethings off." Reed said. "The Gundam pilot reported in a reentry capsule with the Dopps. What's that doing there?"

"No idea." Bright said as he thought about what it means. He thought of several scenarios before thinking of one. One that Char would be crazy enough to try. "They're trying to land Zakus on the ship!"

"What?!" Reed said in shock. "That's insane!"

"Crazy enough for Char, sir." Bright said. "Sayla! Tell Amuro and Kai to watch out for the reentry capsule! It may try and drop Zakus on the ship."

"On it!" Bright then looked to see the battlefield, which was a one-sided battle for them. Things were going well when suddenly Carmine had barged right in with Hayato and Ryu.

"Captain! The refugees are rebelling!" Carmine said, shocking everyone.

"What!?" Bright yelled, shock in his tone. This was just what they needed. Internal conflict.

"It's not an armed rebellion, sir, but they took some of the kids captive." Carmine explained. "My men tried to diffuse the situation, but one of civvies took out a gun and pointed it at them. They must have stolen it from the armory or from one of my men. What we assume to be the leader told them that they only wish to speak to the captain."

"And that's not all, sir." Hayato said. "Fraw Brow volunteered as a hostage to keep an eye on the kids."

"Sir, what should we do?" Ryu asked. Bright just bit his lip as he thought of what to do without this doing downhill for them. They needed to handle this carefully or else someone may die by accident, creating friction between the crew and the refugees. Sighing in exasperation, he turned to Carmine.

"I'll give them their request." Bright said. He then turned to Reed. "Sir, can you take over while I'm diffusing this situation."

"Of course." Reed said. He understood the dangers of having internal strife on a ship and that it needs to be addressed as soon as possible. "Make sure to get the situation over with as fast as possible."

"Understood." Bright then turned to Carmine. "Take me to the refugees. This needs to be addressed." The three men nodded before escorting Bright to the refugees.

* * *

 **Refugee area of White Base**

* * *

The refugees were patiently waiting for their request to be granted when Bright arrived with his escorts.

"Alright, what's exactly the situation?" Bright asked. He noted with some slight surprise that all of the refugees were elderly. Piecing it together, Bright figured out what the problem was. Still, he allowed them to speak, knowing that it'll help the situation. The refugees just looked at him before, what he assumed to be the leader, spoke.

"Don't get us wrong, captain." An old man said. "We all appreciate what you're trying to do, but this was the only way to make sure that you would hear our complaints." Frowning at the man's excuse for taking hostages.

"If you wanted to speak to me, you should have told one of the crew, I would have granted it if I had the time. You didn't need to take hostages." Bright argued, looking at Fraw Brow and the kids, who looked unharmed. To the refugee's credit, they looked ashamed at their actions, obviously regretting at what they did. Sighing, Bright spoke in a gentler voice. "What's exactly the problem?" The leader just nodded to the other refugees, who all began to speak.

"My son. I haven't seen him since I left Earth." An old woman said.

"I didn't even want to leave Earth. The Federation forced me and my entire family to immigrate to space." Another elderly man said. As more refugees added their complaints to the table, Bright got the picture completely. These people were people that were forced by the Federation to move into space, as part of a space immigration project. He knew of the project and its intent. The intent was that, since Earth's population was growing exponentially, too much for the planet to take, people were to be immigrated to space, living in space colonies that had the similar, if a little different, environment as Earth. Despite having many volunteers for it, it wasn't enough for the higher-ups, so they forced some people to move into space. Bright didn't know how many were forced, but it was clear to him that he had some of those people on his ship.

"So, are you asking me to touch down the White Base in enemy territory just, so you can feel the surface of Earth?" Bright asked, angry at their selfishness. The looks he was getting from the refugees gave him the impression that was what they wanted. "Let me remind you all that you're all from side 7, a side that is technically under Federation jurisdiction. That means that the Zeons will see you as enemies and will either kill you or place you under arrest if we land in their territory. Most likely the later because you were on the White Base. Do you recall the atrocities they did on the other sides? Or do they even matter to so long as you get to touch Earth's soil." The refugees looked at each other, some beginning to doubt their plan. Soon they began to talk with each other, obviously discussing what to do. Eventually, the leader spoke to Bright.

"Look, son, you just don't get it. If it means that we can enjoy the air of Earth and the feel of Earth's soil one last time, we'll happily do it." That caused Bright and his men to grit their teeth in anger. Being the youngest, Hayato shouted out.

"How dare you be so selfish!" Yelled Hayato. "What about the kids!? Or the younger generation!?" He then pointed to Fraw and the kids. "Are you willing to sacrifice them just to walk on Earth again!? What about the crew!? We're fighting out there to make sure you're all safe and sound!"

"Hayato." Ryu said, holding Hayato's shoulder. Though he was angry as well, this wasn't the way to handle this. Ryu then looked at Bright, who simply held his hand to tell him to let him handle this.

"I'm disappointed at your selfishness." Bright said, staring at the refugees in disappointment. "These young men and women are fighting to protect you and your dreams to walk on Earth and this is how you repay them?" He then shook his head. "Despite my disgust with you, I'll talk with you all again after the current battle is over. But let me make this clear, we will not land on Zeon controlled territory, and we will make a compromise. And if you take hostages again, then I'll order my men to use lethal force. Now let the hostages go. And give the gun you stole back." Though they were disappointed with how it went, the refugees complied, letting the hostages go. With that, the group left with the hostages in tow. Once they were out of earshot, Bright looked at Ryu and Carmine.

"You two keep an eye on the refugees with two others. I'll be back to speak with them." The two men simply saluted, before going back to keep an eye on the refugees. With that, Bright looked at Hayato and the hostages. "Are you okay, Fraw? Are the kids?"

"Yes, sir." Fraw said. "They didn't harm anyone of us."

"I'm sorry for what happened. I'll try to ensure this won't happen again." Bright said, disappointed that this had happened under his watch. Seeing that Bright was beating himself up, the kids tried to cheer him up."

"It'll be okay." The little girl, Kikka, said. "We weren't scared."

"Yeah. You did awesome. Teaching those grownups, a lesson." Said one of the boys. Katz, if Bright recalled. The other boy, Letz, just nodded with a smile. Bright let out a brief smile before getting back to work.

"Still, I want you all to avoid those people until this is over. Hayato! Keep an eye on them. I don't want them involved in another stunt like that." Hayato nodded his head and saluted, determined to keep them safe.

"Yes, sir! I'll try my best." Bright nodded before making his way to the bridge. Once he was gone, Hayato looked at Fraw with worry.

"You okay, Fraw?" Hayato asked, worry in his voice. He and Fraw were close friends back at side 7. The fact that her family was killed during the attack on side 7, made him sympathized with her. And Hayato was determined to keep her safe from any more harm as best he can.

"Of course, Hayato. They didn't really hurt anyone. Though I'm disappointed at them." Hayato nodded in agreement, still angry at their selfishness.

"I still can't believe they would pull a stunt like that. They're adults. They should know better." Though she agreed with him, Fraw wondered what was so important for them to be on Earth again.

"I guess we'll never know why Earth is so important to them. After all, we lived in space for most of our lives." Hayato just nodded. "Anyway, let's go somewhere away from them. I don't want the kids to be hostages again." Withthat they all left for another section of the ship.

* * *

 **Exterior of White Base**

* * *

"Eat this Zeon!" Kai yelled as he blasted a Dopp out of the sky. The rest began to retreat, having used up all their missiles. "My side is clear. How's yours?"

"Mine just pulled out." Amuro said as he saw his Dopps leaving as well. "Looks like that's all of them."

"Yeah, but what about the Komusai? Didn't see it since the fighting began."

"Don't know." The two began scanning for the Komusai, wondering where it was. Soon, the two spotted a shadow coming at them from above.

"A Zaku?" Kai then looked through his targeting computers to see it was indeed a Zaku. A red one. "Damn. It's Char!"

"We can't let him on the ship!" The two then opened fire, trying to deter Char or even destroy him. The Red Comet, however, dodged all their shots and continued his way to the White Base, taking aim at the bridge.

"Oh no, you don't!" Amuro said. "Vega! Help me out with targeting quickly!"

 **"On it. Targeting data arriving now**." Vega said before showing Amuro where to hit. Using the data, Amuro aimed at Char, waiting for the perfect shot.

"Down you go Char!" With that he opened fire, the bazooka zipping toward the Red Comet. Unfortunately, the Red Comet seemed to have sensed the missile coming at him and dodged, forcing him to miss the White Base. "Damnit! We missed."

"How the hell did he dodge it!?" Kai asked as they watched the Red Comet plummeted toward the Earth's surface.

"No idea. Human reflexes shouldn't have been able to detect it quickly enough." Amuro said, wondering the same thing.

"True. However, there is a theory that may support this." Said Vega, catching their attention.

"A theory. What theory?" Amuro asked, curious.

"Have you heard about the Newtype theory?" Vega asked. The two pilots looked at each other. They both new about the Newtype theory. A theory that originated form Zeon Zum Deikun, the founder of the Republic of Zeon, the name of side 3 before it became the Principality of Zeon. His theory was that mankind was destined to leave Earth and will evolve further than before, becoming Newtypes.

"Yeah, I heard about it. Something about increased awareness or psychic powers." Kai said. "What you think that Char is one of those Newtypes?"

"Unlikely, there is no concrete evidence of the Newtypes yet. However, if they are real, it would explain how Char was able to avoid the bazooka round." Vega said.

"Shit. I hope not. Don't want to face an ace pilot with psychic mumbo jumbo. Come on. Let's get back to the hangers." With that Kai jumped down to the hanger bay with Amuro following soon.

"Hey, Vega. You think that Newtype theory is true?" Amuro asked, wondering why the AI brought up the theory.

"Negative. Unless there is any evidence to back it up, I don't believe the Newtypes exist. The theory has, so far, no evidence to back it up. And probably never will while this war is going on."

"So why did you bring it up?"

"It seemed relevant at the time. The Red Comet had demonstrated an inhuman level of awareness. He shouldn't have been able to dodge the bazooka round in time. It doesn't seem possible." Amuro had to agree on that. Once the Gundam docked, Amuro got out.

"Well, don't beat yourself too hard on it. We'll get him next time." Amuro said. Vega just nodded the Gundam's head before speaking to the engineering team about the fighter. As he was leaving, Chan walked up to him.

"Amuro, Bright just called. He wants you and Kai to meet him on the bridge in a few hours. It's important."

"What?" Amuro asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's about the refugees. He wants all the pilots to know about it." With that, she left, leaving Amuro wondering what the situation is.

* * *

 **Few hours later**

* * *

"You're kidding me!? They did that!" Amuro yelled everyone else just nodded.

"Tch. Just goes to show how selfish people can be, no matter how old they are." Kai said, unamused at the hostage crisis.

"Yes. Though I understand their reasoning for doing so, what they did was completely unnecessary." Whitley said, disapproval in his voice. "Bright how did your talk with them go." Bright just frowned.

"The talk went…moderately well." Bright said. "We argued and argued until we reached a compromise. They'll give us three days to find somewhere safe to land to unload them. If we don't, then we'll have to land, regardless of the danger the location is in."

"We're not going to do that, right Bright?" Hayato asked.

"Unfortunately, they outnumber the entire crew by a three to one margin. They'll force us, even if we object." Bright said. "And I can't afford a mutiny, nor will I allow civilians to be killed on this ship."

"So, what do we do, sir?" Carmine asked.

"For now, continue our heading. It's the only thing we can do at the moment." He then turned to the pilots and the engineering team. "The message was broadcasted out, right?"

"Of course, sir." Isaac said. "There was some static, but the message got through. We should expect a message in one or two days."

"Good. You're all dismissed." The pilots and engineers saluted before leaving for their posts or for the mess hall. With them gone, he turned to Carmine. "Sergeant keep an eye on the refugees. In case they back out of the deal."

"Don't worry, sir, my men are doing that as we speak." Bright nodded in satisfaction before going over to Mirai.

"Bright, I'm concerned." Mirai said, worry in her face. "If the refugees do mutiny, will you…"

"I don't want to Mirai, and I won't." Bright said. "I mean what I said, I don't want to kill any civilians even if it means losing this ship." Mirai smiled at that, happy with his integrity.

"I'll try and make sure that doesn'thappen." Mirai said. "Hopefully, we'll find some sort of safe heaven soon." Bright nodded before going back to commanding the bridge.

* * *

 **California base**

* * *

"You're certain?" Char asked, shock in his voice.

"Positive." Garma said, grimly. "The reports don't lie. That white mobile suit has an artificial intelligence inside it." Char just held his head at that. The Federation was playing with fire this time. Giving the most powerful mobile suit to date an AI. They must either be desperate or foolish. Either way, high command will need to hear this.

"I need to inform admiral Dozle about this."

"And I'll inform my sister." Garma said. "This must be addressed immediately." The two men then walked away to inform their respective commanding officers.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **11/19/2018- Fixed a few writing errors**

* * *

"Watch out!" Kai yelled as he was hit by a missile from a Dopp. He cursed before opening fire, destroying the Dopp and another two with his Vulcans. "Another squadron from the west!"

"Got it!" Hayato then had Ryu, who was now the Guntank driver when he's not in a Core fighter, to turn around so he can fire at the incoming Dopps. Once he had his sights on them, he opened fire, taking out half of them with his missiles. "Go help Amuro and Vega, Kai. We got this." The Guncannon pilot nodded before rushing toward Amuro, who was taking potshots at Magella attack tanks.

"Any Zakus?" Kai asked as he provided fire support.

"Not since we destroyed the last one." Amuro said, adrenaline in his veins. "Damnit. This is the fourth attack today. Can't believe they have this many units."

"I can't believe they're this tenacious with how many of them we've killed." Kai said as they poured their fire on the tanks. After a few more minutes, the Zeon forces began to pull back. Once they did, the Guncannon laid on the ground. "Oh man. Glad they pulled off when they did. Ammo was nearly up. Same with you Amuro?"

"Nearly out on everything, even the Vulcans. What about you, Hayato?" Hayato just checked the ammo supply and grimaced.

"Same. We need to pull back for maintenance and restock on ammo."

"Right, let's go." Amuro said. With that the three mobile suits began to go back. On the way, Amuro began to feel sleepy, which increased over time. "Vega…somethings wron…" Amuro then dozed off, causing the Gundam to fall over before it was caught by Vega, who took control.

"What's wrong?" Hayato asked, seeing that the Gundam tripped over.

" **Amuro has fallen asleep."** Vega said. " **We need to go back to the White Base immediately."**

"Damn, should have seen this coming. All this combat has completely exhausted him." Ryu said. "Come on guys, we need to get going. Amuro needs some rest."

"Got it." Kai said before they all activated their thrusters to fly back to the White Base. Once inside the hangers, the pilots moved their mobile suits into their loading bays before getting out to help Amuro.

"What's wrong?" Chan asked as she saw the three went to the Gundam.

"Amuro fell asleep after the fighting." Hayato said as Vega opened the cockpit, allowing them to grab Amuro and escort him out of the hanger and to his room."

"What?" Chan asked, shocked and worried. "Let me help."

"You sure?" Kai asked, shocked at her offer of help. "Shouldn't you be helping out the others with the mobile suits."

"This is more important. Besides, Al and Isaac can handle it, right?" Isaac just nodded, overhearing their conversation.

"Don't worry, Chan. Go with them. We can handle this. Its just filling up their ammo and basic maintenance this time."

"If we can even refill their ammo." Al said as he looked at how much ammo was left. "We barely have enough left to fill them up to even half capacity."

"Then do what you can! We can't afford to waste time! The Zeons might attack again!" Isaac then left to attend to the mobile suits, leaving the kids alone.

"I'll inform Bright about this." Hayato said, leaving the group to talk to Bright. After making a transmission to the Bridge and seeing that it was received, Hayato spoke to Sayla, who responded. "Sayla, I need to speak to Bright. Can you get him?" Sayla nodded before yelling over her shoulder. Soon, Bright appeared on the screen.

"What is it?" Asked Bright, wondering what's going on.

"Bad news sir. Amuro feel asleep after the battle. He's completely exhausted." Bright sighed upon hearing this. He should have expected this.

"I see. Very well. I'll give him some time to rest. In the meantime, you and Kai should as well. You three deserve it."

"What about Ryu? He's fighting as much as us."

"Don't worry about him. He's a soldier. He's used to things like this. Though I will order him to get some rest if required." Hayato, though a bit disappointed with his answer, complied and cut the transmission.

" ***Sighs*** Those damn Zeons. We can't keep this up if they continue." Hayato then left to help out Amuro. When he caught up, he saw Chan was placing him in his bed and trying to make him comfortable, Kai and Ryu were just looking.

"Damn." Kai said as he observed. "Guy really has been overworking."

"You've all been." Chan said as she finished tucking Amuro in. "Including the engineering team. We've been working all day and night without break to make sure your mobile suits are in optimal performances." When she said that, they noticed that her hair was slightly disheveled and that her uniform was wrinkled everywhere. Come to think of it, they never seen the engineers have as much as a break whenever they went to the hanger to check out the mobile suits.

"How long can we hold out?" Hayato asked as he made his presence known, worried about their chances of survival.

"Unless we get a resupply soon, a day. And that's stretching it." Chan said. She then checked Amuro for any fever. " ***Sighs*** He has a small fever." She then turned to the men. "Can you guys get Fraw Brow for me? I need to attend him until she gets here." The two just nodded before leaving to get Fraw.

"She really cares about Amuro." Commented Kai as the two left the room.

"Yeah, wonder why." Hayato said, wondering what Chan has with Amuro. Far as he knows, she just helps maintains his Gundam and the other mobile suits. He also knows that the two spend some time together, but it was usually on the Gundam. Kai, however, just smirked.

"I think that they have a little thing going on. Or at least got some pent-up feelings inside." That caused Hayato to look at Kai in shock.

"You honestly think so? But they don't show any sign of that." Kai just wagged his finger.

"Just because they don't show it publicly, doesn't mean that there aren't feelings being had between two people. Everyone has their way of showing how they feel about a certain people, man." Ryu just starred at Kai, understanding what he's trying to say.

"So, you think Chan has feelings for Amuro?" Kai just shrugged with a cocky smirk.

"Maybe. Who knows? Let's just get Fraw and get some rest.I'm beat." Nodding their heads in agreement, the three resumed their search for Fraw.

* * *

 **Bridge**

* * *

Sayla was monitoring the radio for any transmissions from Federation HQ when she suddenly received a signal from an encrypted channel. Knowing that it could only be the Federation, Sayla yelled out for Bright.

"Sir, we're getting a transmission! It's from the Federation!" She then received orders to change frequency to a specific channel. Once she did so, she received a coded message, which she handed to Bright. Upon reading it, Bright was shocked and angry. All the message contained was orders to head to the Pacific Ocean and escape Zeon territory.

"This is unbelievable!" Bright yelled as he handed the note to Reed, who was shocked at it as well, before passing it to Whitley. "What is HQ thinking? Do they even realize how important this ship is along with its cargo?"

"No mention of support at all?" Whitley said with a sigh. "What are we going to do? Engineering just reported in that they ran out of ammo for the mobile suits. If we don't get a resupply soon, we're doomed." Bright just nodded as he wondered on what to do.

* * *

 **Few hours later**

* * *

Amuro groaned as he opened his eyes. Feeling something damp on his forehead, he touched it, only to see that a wet cloth was on it.

"What happened?" Amuro asked as he looked around, seeing that he was in his room. He also noticed that he was still in his pilot uniform.

"Good you're awake." Fraw said as she tended to him. Checking his temperature, Fraw removed the towel and held out a tray of soup, some medicine, and a glass of water. "This should help you get better. Let me help you." She then grabbed a spoon, scooped up some soup, and was ready to give some to Amuro, who was embarrassed at this. Nevertheless, he opened his mouth, allowing her to feed him. After she fed him two more spoonfuls, she spoke again.

"After you finish with the soup, take the medicine with a shot of water. The doctor said you'll recover once you do." Nodding his head in understanding, Amuro began to eat the soup, having found enough strength to do so. As she watched him eat, Fraw couldn't help but think of that girl that was with him before. Chan Agi.

* * *

 **Sometime ago**

* * *

 _ **Fraw Bow was rushing toward Amuro's room. The other pilots had informed her of what happened to Amuro and that they needed her to keep an eye on him. Worried for her friend, Fraw rushed toward to his room, hoping that it wasn't too serious. Once she opened the door, she was caught off guard at what she saw. A blue haired girl was tending to Amuro, making him comfortable and placing a wet towel on his forehead. The sight nearly made Fraw speechless and she was about to speak when the girl saw her.**_

" _ **Oh! You must be Fraw." Said the girl as she walked toward Fraw. "You need to take over, they need me back at engineering. He has a small fever, so you need to afraid that. I'll be back as soon as I can." The girl then left her and Amuro alone. Fraw was still speechless even as the girl left and closed the door. She only snapped out of it when she heard Amuro groan. Shaking her head, she began to treat Amuro as best she can.**_

* * *

 **Present**

* * *

It was only after a few minutes that Fraw remembered who the girl was. She was a cadet that was assigned to help maintain the mobile suits named Chan Agi. That meant she probably spent some time with the pilots, helping them out with their mobile suits, especially Amuro, who was fixated in the Gundam and upgrading its performance. The fact that Chan was probably spending so much time with Amuro, left Fraw a bit jealous. Nevertheless, this wasn't about her and her crush. This was about taking care of Amuro. So, she buried those jealous thoughts away and just focused on helping her friend.

"You've been fighting a lot lately. You sure you'll be fine out there?" Fraw asked, worried. Amuro had just finished his soups and taken his medicine. When he drank all of his water, he looked at Fraw.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Amuro said as he rolled one of arms. "I should be ready to get back to work."

"Uh, actually Bright ordered that you lay off of combat for awhile." Fraw said. "He was worried when you fell unconscious after the battle. So, he wants you to recover for now." Amuro was a bit shocked at this. He didn't think that Bright would do that. He thought Bright would just want him to get up and go back to duty as soon as he was able.

"Well, in that case, I'll just bring this to the mess hall." Amuro then grabbed the tray carrying his soup bowl and glass of water. "Least I can do. Mind escorting be there." Fraw just smiled at that.

"Of course. I'm ordered to help you out until you've fully recovered." The two then left for the mess hall. Once they were there, they saw Kai eating his food with the security chief of the White Base.

"Hey Kai." Amuro greeted as he put his tray in the cleaning bin. "How are you doing?"

"If you mean falling asleep after the battle, no. I haven't." Kai said before eating a spoonful of corn. "Been staying up so late back at side 7 that I'm used to sleeping with only two to four hours sleep.

" **So that's why he was always so sleepy back at class.** " Thought Amuro as he looked at the table next to them. He saw an elderly man quickly taking a bit of food from a young boy's tray before leaving, the kid and his mother oblivious to this. Amuro frowned at such behavior and was about to intervene when Carmine spoke.

"Saw that too, huh?" Carmine said. Amuro snapped into attention and looked at Carmine, who was pointing at the boy and woman.

"Uh, yes sir." Amuro said, hoping he was referring to the stealing of food. "You're going to do something about that, sir." Carmine just sighed.

"I'm afraid not. While stealing of food is against the rules, it only accounts for large amounts of food, not small crumps. So, unfortunately, our little thief gets away with it. I can give him a warning and that's it."

"Oh." Amuro then clenched his fists at that. Seeing this, Carmine hoped to make Amuro understand or maybe appease him.

"Try to understand Amuro. If I punish him for stealing such little food, that'll reflect badly on Bright and the crew. If we arrest someone for something so miniscule, the refugees will think that the Zeons were right. That those in the Federation are tyrants. It may seen to be ridiculous, but it's the truth. The refugees will resent us if we bring them in for such minor offenses." Amuro just nodded, understanding what he's saying, so he let the subject go. Fraw, who was busy talking with the head chef, walked up to Amuro.

"Amuro. Its time to go to your room." Amuro just nodded before leaving. Once he left, Kai spoke.

"Damn. Got both the engineering girl and Fraw after him. There's going to be a cat fight soon."

"You better not be having another bet again." Carmine said. He wasn't amused when he heard a betting had occurred whether the core fighter made a transmission to Federation HQ. Kai just smirked at him.

"Hey, blame your soldiers. Not me. I just joined in."

* * *

 **Hanger bay 1**

 **Later**

* * *

"That's it?" Chan asked as she saw the ammo count for all mobile suits. There were only twenty rounds for the Guncannon's shoulder guns, ten for each gun. The Guntank only had twelve missiles for each hand and six shots for its main guns. The Gundam only had two clips for its bazooka. And the mobile suits with Vulcans only had two hundred rounds left for each.

"I'm afraid so." Isaac said. "Unless we get some resupply soon, this is all that's left of ammo."

"We're charging the beam guns, but its taking some time." Al said. "We'll probably only get eight shots from both of them if the enemy attacks again."

" ***Sighs*** Unfortunate. If that's all, I'll be going to check up on Amuro." Hearing that caused Al to smile a knowing smile. He looked at Isaac, who just shook his head at him, which Al ignored.

"So, you and Amuro, huh? Is there something that you're not telling us?" Hearing that caused Chan to blush.

"No there isn't, sir. I'm just being a good friend. That's it."

"That's what they usually say before they all get together." Before Al could tease her anymore, Isaac slapped him on the head.

"Enough. Girl has enough problems anyway." He then turned toward Chan. "Go and check up on him. There's nothing left to do, anyway. Al and I were going to get too." Chan nodded gratefully before leaving, still blushing. Once she was gone, Isaac looked at him co-worker and partner, disappointment in his stare.

"You're an asshole. You know that. I was just having fun." Al said as he rubbed his head.

"You sure you're not the asshole here? Now come on. I want to get some food." With that the two engineers left for the mess hall. Chan, meanwhile, was rushing toward Amuro's room, trying to ignore what Al said.

" **Feelings for Amuro? That ridiculous. I'm only doing that as a friend."** Chan thought as she made her way to Amuro's room. Besides, the first time they met, he tried to place her under arrest. But then again, she was violated base rules and would have been punished severely for it. Yet, Amuro didn't report her and kept it a secret, something she was grateful for. She needed this job to support her family. Well, it wasn't technically needed, but she rather not cause more grief for her family more than they already have. They had enough problems with their home in side 5 gone and dad barely around because of his job in the Federation military. She sighed as she finally reached the door to Amuro's room. When she opened it she saw Amuro was up and holding his mouth and chin, obviously thinking about something. Curious, she closed the door and went to Amuro.

"You okay?" Chan asked as she looked at him, who only noticed that Chan was here when he caught her in his eyesight.

"Sorry." Amuro said. "Just been thinking. I've been doing it a lot since I've been ordered not to partake in any patrols until tomorrow." Chan just waved her hand to signal that it was fine.

"So, what you've been thinking about?" Amuro just sighed before asking her to sit next to him. Complying with his request, she sat down next to him, a bit worried. He started rubbing his own neck before speaking. "Remember when you said that you'll be a shoulder to lean on when I need it?" She nodded. "Well, can you also be someone I can talk to when I need it as well? There's these thoughts I've been having lately. Thoughts that aren't…exactly positive to the Federation. And I need someone I trust." Chan just nodded.

"Of course, you can trust me. One shouldn't be blind loyal to their government. They need to see that they're not infallible and that they can commit atrocities and other evil acts." Amuro nodded in agreement. They both knew that the Federation did some pretty shady stuff even back before the war.

"Well, I've had this thought. What if the Federation is just using us for bait?" Amuro said. "We're just something for them to throw to the Zeons so they could focus on something else for a time so that the Federation can develop even more powerful mobile suits than the Gundam. I mean, they developed an AI. Who's to say that they won't just discard the notion of needing a pilot and just make a fully automated mobile suit division? AIs don't need food, water, wages, or even sleep. Think of all they could accomplish with all that free time. Not to mention they're incorruptible. The Federation will salivate at such a fighting force." Chan just blinked as she processed this. Thinking it over, Chan asked a question first.

"Did you talk to Fraw Bow about this?" Amuro nodded his head.

"I did, but she just brushed it off, saying that I was too paranoid." To be honest, Amuro was a bit hurt by her answer, but not too much. He got her point of view. Maybe he was being a little too paranoid. And maybe he was being a little cynical for his own good. Plus he was being a little unfair to Vega, whose been nothing but friendly to him and the crew. Still, it would have helped to know what her stance was on the matter. "What do you think?"

"Well," Chan started, holding her skirt. "I honestly wouldn't put it past the Federation to include an AI division in its ranks. It seemed to be something they'll do. But probably not anytime soon. There's been so much paranoia on AIs ever since we've explored space. Most of its due to all those comics and movies about AI uprisings and human slavery. Honestly, I'm surprised that the Federation managed to get approval for the inclusions of AIs in the mobile suits. What with all the paranoia surrounding the subject. But, completely replacing human inclusion in the military? That would be utterly stupid on the Federation's part." Seeing Amuro look at her, she continued.

"Consider this. What would happen if an enemy of the Federation manages to create a virus that can disable all the AIs in the Federation's disposal? What if theres a situation that requires not the firepower of a battleship, but instead requires someone to use the power of words? Something that an AI can't do. Or heck, what if there's something that requires basic human decency? Those are things that an AI is vulnerable or weak against, but isn't a problem or can be handled by ease with a human." Hearing her argument, Amuro nodded his head, getting what she was saying. Though he still had his doubts, it felt nice to hear that someone else's opinion.

"Thanks, Chan. I needed to hear that." Amuro said as he got up and cleaned up his uniform.

"You're at ease now?" Chan asked. Amuro just shook his head.

"It helped though. And I appreciate it." Chan just smiled at that.

"Your welcome. Just come to me or anyone else if you need help. Or even Whitley. Heard he's like a father to you." Amuro just chuckled at that.

"We're not that close, Chan. He was just there for me when I learned my father died and when we had a funeral for the previous captain. Though I won't deny that he's a good man." Chan just nodded in agreement before leaving, saying that she'll check up on him again soon. Nodding his head in thanks Amuro wondered what the enemy was doing now.

"What are they up to?" Amuro asked as bit his nails.

* * *

 **Gaw carrier**

* * *

"Garma, I'm against with sending you out there with just Dopps." Char said as Garma put on his flight suit before leaving for his personal Dopp fighter, which was ready for him.

"Unfortunately, Char, it has to be done." Garma said through his helmets com link. "Our tanks were all but destroyed in those previous fights and our Zakus are too far away to reinforce us. Besides, the enemy must be low on ammo now. They should be easy pickings for several squadrons of Dopps, especially if we attack on one point. Not even an AI can stop us." Char just sighed as he shook his head. After they reported to Garma's eldest siblings, they all were more invested in the Trojan Horse, the name that they all gave for the new Federation Ship. As they're hands were tied up with Federation forces in space or other sections of Earth's surface, they could do nothing but give words of encouragement to Garma, telling him good luck and that'll he'll be praised for capturing the Trojan Horse, something that made Garma smile as he wanted their approval.

" **Foolish kid. I almost feel sorry for him** " Thought Char as he give permission for Garma to launch. Before they did however, the bridge reported in that they spotted two enemy fighters. Knowing that only the Trojan Horse was the only Federation ship in the area, Char aborted the launch.

"What's the idea, Char?" Garma asked as he looked at the Red Comet, who just smirked.

"Why hunt the small fry when they could lead us to the true catch of the day." Garma just raised an eyebrow before it clicked in his mind. Smiling at Char's genius, Garma aborted the launch for now and had the Gaw pursue the fighters.

* * *

 **White Base bridge**

* * *

"Captain, we got a situation." Ryu said over the comm.

"Go ahead." Bright said after he finished his conversation with Whitley.

"We spotted the enemy Gaw. Unfortunately, they may have spotted us." Bright just cursed under his breath before giving out orders.

"Level one battlestations! Once the Core fighters are out, convert one of them to Guntank. Get Kai out with the Guncannon! Tell him to wait until Guntank is out." As Sayla relayed his orders, Reed looked at Bright.

"What about Gundam? Its got the AI in it. Why not just send it out as well?" Bright just looked at Reed.

"Unfortunately, sir, Vega doesn't have much experience with doing things without a pilot. While he can, he's more efficient when paired with a pilot."

"Then send the boy out. Hes recovered from what I hear." Bright just narrowed his eyes on that suggestion.

"Amuro has just recovered, sir, and he needs rest. Just because he's recovered from falling unconscious during the last battle, doesn't mean it'll happen again. My orders stand, lieutenant. I'll send out the Gundam when its clear they're needed." Reed just sighed before focusing on the battle, knowing that Bright wouldn't budge. With that out of the way, Bright went to Whitley.

"Can Vega fight on his own well?" Whitley just shrugged, unsure.

"We never got that far in the testing. We were planning to do that on Jaburo." Whitley said. "Vega can certainly fight without a pilot, that is of no doubt, and the previous battle should have helped him learn but I'm not sure if he can win a fight without support and Amuro." Bright just nodded.

"Then we'll just keep him inreserve." Bright said. "For now, Kai, Ryu, and Hayato will have to fight on their own." Whitley just nodded before the two began to pray that they all survive this battle.

* * *

 **The ground**

* * *

"Took you two long enough." Kai said as he saw the Guntank land.

"Stow it, Kai." Ryu said as he moved the Guntank in position. "Any enemy boggies?"

"Tons. Spotted two squads of Dopps a while ago, but they're keeping distance. I think they're waiting for more guys." Ryu just nodded, agreeing.

"No doubt on that. What about ground troops?"

"Actually, nothing on the scanners on the ground. Think its just fighters this time. Maybe they're running low on guys to send."

"Got to be." Hayato said as he scanned the perimeter. "We destroyed so many tanks, fighters, and Zakus that they have to be running low on guys."

"Yeah, let's hope that's the case. We're all low on ammo so make each shot count guys." Kai and Hayato nodded, ready for a fight. They soon got their fight when two squadrons of Dopps arrived and started their attack. While Kai dealt with one, the Guntank dealt with the other, both taking out a fair deal of Dopps before they managed to reach the White Base. After he downed another with his beam rifle, Kai noticed something off. They were all going right at them in the same direction, over and over again.

"Somethings off. What the hell are they doing?" It was then that Ryu and Hayato thought the same thing. "They're not this stupid. What are they up to." It was then that Sayla's voice came over their radios.

"Guntank and Guncannon! Move back to the White Base. Two more Dopp squads are approaching from the rear with another coming from the sides!"

"God damnit!" Kai yelled as he slammed the side of his cockpit. "On our way!" With that the two mobile suits began to make their way as the White Base opened fire on the new Dopp squad, taking out a few as the rest poured their fire on the engines. "Oh no you don't!" Kai then rushed toward the engines and began to open fire on the Dopps, taking out several as they tried to attack again. As he opened fire, Kai checked his ammo reserves and cursed. He only had five shots in the beam rifle, eight rounds for each shoulder cannon, and one hundred and twenty rounds left in the Vulcans. "Damn. Hayato! How many rounds you got left in you? I'm running low." Hayato just grunted as the Guntank endured a barrage of fire from a returning Dopp squad before returning fire, taking out three with one shot.

"Same here. We only got four shots with the main guns and we only got about a dozen rockets. We need Vega and the Gundam." Both Ryu and Kai hated to admit it, but he's right. They don't have enough ammo to deal with so many Dopps.

"Alright, I'll contact the bridge." Ryu said before contacting the bridge. "Sir, I hate to say this, but we need the Gundam here. We just don't have enough ammo for all these Dopps." Bright just nodded his head, understanding their predicament.

"Understood. I'll have the engineers get the Gundam ready." Bright then turned toward Sayla. "Inform the engineers now."

"On it. Should I inform Amuro to suit up?" Bright just shook his head. The boy was too exhausted to fight right now. There's no way that he'll let him fight in his state, especially if they had an AI to fight in his stead.

"He needs his rest. Besides Vega can fight on his own if needed." Sayla just nodded before relaying the orders. As she did, Bright prayed that Vega was able to fight on his own competently enough that they can win this battle.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Hanger**

* * *

"We're launching the Gundam now! Good luck out there Vega!" Yelled Isaac the Gundam launched. Once it landed safely on the ground, Vega scanned the perimeter for the Guncannon and Guntank. Upon locating them, Vega rushed toward them as they fought off the Dopps.

"About time you showed up!" Kai yelled as he destroyed another Dopp with his beam rifle. "We're almost dry. Pretty sure, we're soon going to have to resort to using sticks and rocks as weapons if we can't make them retreat soon."

" **Understood Kai, I'll try to assist with destroying the Dopps."** With that the three mobile suits regrouped and began to attack the Dopps again, conserving ammo as best they can. As the mobile suits fought, Garma Zabi was looking at them with interest.

"So, it's finally here." Garma said before contacting the other Dopps. "Squad one, two, and five, focus on the enemy mobile suits. Squad three and four with me. We'll try and divide their attention from protecting themselves and the ship. Don't be predictable. I doubt their AI can predict erratic behavior." With that, the Dopps did what they're told, either focusing on the mobile suits or the White Base, making erratic movement to confuse them. And it was working. Both Vega and the regular pilots were struggling to figure out which Dopp was going to attack and who wasn't. And in their confusion, the Dopps attacked and by the time the pilots figured it out and retaliated the Dopps went to a safe distance. And since they were low on ammo, none of the mobile suits could afford to attack all of them at such a range, in fear of losing ammo. As this was happening, Bright and Whitley were monitoring this.

"He's doing okay so far." Bright said as he held his chin as Vega took out a Dopp that got too close with a burst of the Vulcans, making it his third kill, before being bombarded by another squadron. He tried to fight back, but the Dopps just pulled away and concentrated at the Guntank. "Buts he's struggling now."

"Indeed. And so are our other pilots." Whitley said as he observed the Zeon pilots attempting to be unpredictable in their movements. Their forces were still taking the Dopps down, albeit with more difficulty than before. "Vega wasn't programmed to deal with opponents that he can't predict. At this rate, they'll overwhelm our mobile suits and target us solely." Bright just nodded as he wondered on what to do with their limited resources. Just then, the door to the bridge opened to reveal Amuro, Chan, and Fraw. The two girls were protesting him being out of bed, but Amuro ignored them, going right up to Bright and Whitley.

"Sirs." Amuro said while saluting. Bright and Whitley looked at him, one with a stern look on his face.

"Didn't I tell you to stay in bed until you fully recovered?" Bright asked as he looked at Amuro, who just stood firm, impressing them a bit.

"Sorry, sir. I just wanted to see how Vega was performing." When he heard about Vega being in the fight, Amuro got up from his bed and went to the bridge, something that Fraw and Chan protested, fearing for his health.

"Well, not good, the Dopps have engaged in movements and tactics that are too unpredictable for him to accurately respond to. And it's working with Hayato and Kai as well." Whitley said. Amuro just looked at the battlefield while taking in what Whitley said, observing Vega's performance as well as the Dopps. He bit his lip, wondering on what to do. He was thinking of a way to end this battle now as he knew that all their mobile suits had to be low on ammo now. He brainstormed idea after idea until he got one. Going over to Sayla, he asked her to contact Vega. When asked why, Amuro just said that it could turn the tide. Taking his word for it, Sayla opened a transmission with Vega.

" **Yes?"** Asked Vega as he fought the Dopps.

"How much airtime can the Gundam have if it activates its thrusters to full power?" The AI calculated the math, including factors like air resistance and wind, before giving his answer.

" **A minute to ninety seconds, if conditions are favorable. May I ask why?"**

"Yes, I want you I to go up into the air and take on those Dopps in the skies." Everyone who heard that looked at Amuro in shock. Some people thought he was insane for even thinking something like that, believing it wouldn't work. While others thought it could level the playing field, despite its insanity. Their reasoning being that it may surprise the Zeon forces enough that their mobile suits can do enough damage to order a retreat. "I know its insane Vega, but can you please do it." The AI was a bit skeptical of the plan, having calculated the odds of it being successful, but decided to do it anyway. Not like there was much at the table anyway.

" **Commencing thruster ignition."** With that, the Gundam launched itself into the air, surprising and terrifying the Zeon pilots.

"Its flying!" Yelled a Zeon pilot before being destroyed by the Gundam's bazooka, which was soon followed up with a Vulcan barrage that destroyed several other Dopps as the Gundam was freefalling back into the ground. Amuro then instructed Vega to keep doing this until the Dopps were all destroyed or retreated and that he'll try and provide support as best he can, which Vega did so with ease as the Guncannon and Guntank provided covering fire. As they watched, Bright and Whitley were surprised to see such team work. While Vega was out doing the actual battling, Amuro was feeding him advice, telling him when to go into the air and which squadron to target next. The two were in perfect sync with each other, destroying the Dopps with ease, despite Amuro not being in the cockpit. As they watched this happen, Bright looked at Whitley.

"Is this what you meant by AI and humans working together?" Bright asked, recalling that was Whitley's purpose in the V project. Whitley just shrugged.

"I suppose. The AI was meant to just help the pilot in the more mundane things and help save his/her should the need arise. But, after these few weeks with you all, I believe that one needs the other to be a far deadlier opponent than anything the Zeons have ever faced. What any human has ever faced. But this," He then looked at Amuro giving Vega instructions, feeling a sense of pride. "Is beyond anything that I ever hoped to achieve. If we can acquire this amount of unity and teamwork with all our mobile suit pilots, then this war is as good as ours." Bright just nodded, agreeing with the sentiment, before going back to watch Amuro work.

"Alright, jump now!" Amuro then let out a small smirk as Vega scored several more kills against a squadron of Dopps before being forced back to the ground. "Wait till they get close to the White Base, then do it again." Vega just responded back to him and did as he was instructed. Once a Dopp squadron was near getting near the White Base again, he ignited his thrusters and engaged them with the Gundam's sabers, destroying a couple once again. It was after this attack, that the Dopps began to pull back with the loses their suffering as well as the fact that their out of missiles. As the fighters began to pull back, Garma got angry. Angry at how all this turned out and how badly they lost to a single ship and its complement of mobile suits. In his angry, he charged straight at the Gundam with only his Vulcans.

"Damn machine! Go down! Go down now!" Garma yelled as he fired at the Gundam, whose armor ignored the rounds as they bounced off. As Vega caught the fighter in his sights, he jumped toward it and swung the beam saber at him. Fortunately for Garma, he managed to swerve enough that the saber only took out one of his wings. Seeing his damaged wing managed to bring Garma back to his senses and forced him to retreat. As Vega saw this happen, he asked for instruction, wondering on what to do. His pilot, Amuro, just looked at Bright, wondering on what he should tell Vega.

"Tell him to pull back." Bright said. "We don't have enough ammo to pursue. Plus, there's the enemy Gaw close by. They could be luring us into a trap. Call everyone back." Amuro just nodded before telling Vega to come back with everyone else, which they all did. Before they did so, however, the operators yelled out.

"Sir! We got another contact! Its emitting a friendly IFF!" Yelled one of the operators. Upon hearing that, everyone looked at the operators, hoping that it was something good.

"Are you sure!?" Bright asked, praying that its Federation.

"Positive. Its emitting a friendly IFF." It was then that Sayla received a transmission from a secure line. Upon tapping and hearing what was on the other side, she yelled out.

"Its friendly, sir. We have a Medea supply ship coming our way. They're sending us coordinates to rendezvous." Sayla said with relief. Upon hearing that everyone sighed in relief. They were finally getting relieved.

"Tell them we'll be there once we've picked up our mobile suits." Bright said before he ordered Mirai to head toward the coordinates. As the crew got to work, Amuro was in thought.

" **I need to review Vega's combat performance. Need to see how he did."** Thought Amuro before going back to his room with Chan and Fraw following.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

"You have no idea how glad we are to see you, ma'am. We're all in your debt." Bright said as he talked with the Medea's captain, a beautiful redhead named Matilda Ajan. Matilda just smiled a bit before responding back.

"No need for thanks, sir." Matilda said. "We're just glad we made it in time." She then looked at the crew of the White Base and frowned a bit, sad that they were all so young. She then shrugged it off and looked at her clipboard. "These supplies should last you for awhile until we can rendezvous again in Federation controlled airspace. I also have orders to take most of your refuges as well as Lieutenant Reed and his men."

"I understand. What about the rest of us?" Bright asked, wondering what HQ wanted from them. Matilda just sighed before answering.

"I'm afraid that general headquarters just wants you to escape into Federation airspace at this time. That is all." Bright just widened his eyes in shock at that.

"What!? Why are those our only orders? Shouldn't we have been given more instructions for our ship and crew?" Matilda just sighed, wondering the same thing.

"I don't know. General Revil just told me to relay those orders to you. I'm afraid he's as much in the dark as the rest of us." Matilda said. She then gave a charming smile to the crew, something that caused some of the young men's hearts to beat more rapidly. "But rest assured, there's those in the Federation that haven't abandoned you or your crew, Mr. Bright." Bright, though disappointed, just nodded.

"Will that be all lieutenant?" Matilda just sighed before speaking again.

"I'm afraid not. General Revil requests I take Doctor Whitley with me as well as combat data from your mobile suits. Its of vital importance." Everyone just gasped in shock at this. Whitley was with them since the beginning and had been a source of wisdom and experience for the crew ever since, steering them to the right way whenever they did something wrong. To have him suddenly leave was jarring to say the least.

"May I ask why?" Bright asked. Matilda once again sighed.

"Once again, I'm not sure. Those are my orders. I'm sorry." Whitley, upon hearing this, just sighed, knowing what he had to do.

"Will you give me a moment to say good bye to the crew?" Matilda just nodded, understanding his request.

"I'll be in my ship. Take as much time as you need." With that she saluted the crew and left the bridge. Once she was gone, Whitley turned to everyone.

"I'm sorry for leaving you all alone in Zeon territory, but duty calls. I wish you all well and safe travels in your journey." He then turned to Bright. "Bright, these people will rely on you solely now for leadership and guidance. Promise me you'll take care of them." Bright just nodded and saluted Whitley.

"I'll do my best, sir. God speed to you and I pray that we'll meet again." The two men then shook hands before Whitley began to do the same with everyone else, either giving them words of encouragement and advice, like telling Mirai to take care of Bright and Carmine to do his best to protect the crew. When he looked at Amuro, he put his hand on his shoulder. "What you and Vega did out there today. You made me proud and your father as well. Keep it up and protect this ship to the best of your ability." Amuro, though a bit sad at Whitley leaving, just stood firm and kept a brave face.

"I will, sir." Whitley let a small smile grace his face before speaking again.

"Treat Vega well. Trust him and he'll not let you down. But don't solely rely on him and the Gundam alone. You need to get strong yourself as well as the other pilots. Technology can only go so far without the necessary skills required to operate them to their fullest potential." Amuro nodded his head, agreeing with him. With that, he left to go get his thing. Half an hour later, once he gathered his things, he went to the hanger bay to speak with his creation. Vega was helping unload the supplies the Medea left for them with Chan helping him out when he spotted his creator.

" **Sir, what are you doing here?** " Vega asked as he looked at Whitley with his stuff. Upon seeing his packed things, he concluded that he was leaving. **"You're leaving, aren't you."**

"Smart as ever." Whitley said with a chuckle. "Yes, order from General Revil himself. It must be something important because I didn't get much from the supply lieutenant."

" **I hope for your safety sir."** Whitley just nodded his head at that.

"Same to you and this crew." He then looked at the Gundam with a serious face. "Take care of Amuro and the crew. They need much support if they're going to pull through this war."

" **I will do to the best of my abilities, sir."** Satisfied with that answer, he went to Chan, who was mostly silent in the conversation.

"Yes?" Chan asked, nervous a bit. Whitley just laughed on the inside at her nervousness before making a request.

"Please, take care of Amuro to the best of your ability as well as Vega. They both need it when the times become rough." Chan, a bit shocked at this request, just nodded her head and said good luck to him. With that done, Whitley left for the Medea transport. Once he made it to the bridge, lieutenant Matilda spoke with him.

"I'm sorry for doing this, sir." Matilda said. "I know you've all been through a lot together." Recalling all the ups and downs from Side 7 to Earth, Whitley just nodded.

" we have." With that, Whitley just took a seat as the Medea took off and flew off to Federation territory.

* * *

 **Few days later**

 **Jaburo Base**

 **Revil's office**

* * *

General Johann Abraham Revil was reading through some papers when one of his aids came through his door.

"Sir, Doctor Whitley is here to see you." The aid said before letting Whitley through the door.

"Excellent. You're dismissed." With that the aid was gone, leaving the two men alone.

"You wanted to speak with me, sir?" Asked Whitley as he took a seat.

"Yes." Revil said as he put his papers down. "For starters, I want to apologize for taking you away from the White Base, but duty calls for it." Whitley just nodded, understanding.

"I understand, but did you want from me that required me to be taken from the White Base?" Revil just sighed before looking at Whitley.

"I'll be honest with you, Whitley, we need to end this war soon. Its been going for far too long. And I'm sick and tired of sending good, young people to their deaths for a pointless war of independence. The Zeons are holding their territories on Earth with an iron fist and we can't do much to retake those territories. We need a game changer, something that will turn the tide in our favor, which is why I proposed we take Odessa." Whitley was shocked at this. He knew of Odessa, it was where the Zeon's primary mining facilities on Earth were. Despite having asteroids to mine, the Zeons couldn't rely on it solely. Asteroid mining was still a dangerous and time-consuming task to do. That's why they settled on Odessa, it was located in a region rich with various rare metals and resources that could supply them for hundreds of years, keeping their war-machine going for a long time. Taking it could, potentially, turn the tide for the Federation. Except there was one problem. It was one of the most fortified places the Zeon's have, only surpassed by the California Base.

"How do you propose we do that?" Whitley asked. "We need at least a fourth of the Federation's ground forces to take Odessa from the Zeons. They're too dug in."

"I know. If you asked me a few days ago to attack Odessa, I would say you're insane. But an opportunity just arose that have may given us a chance to take it. And it was given to us by the White Base." He then gave a newspaper to Whitley, who realized, upon seeing it, it was a Zeon sponsored newspaper. After reading the main topic, he was shocked.

"I can't believe they did it." Revil just nodded, just as shocked and impressed as Whitley.

"That's not all doctor, I also have a project that requires your expertise. One that could reduce the number of casualties we'll suffer if we try and take Odessa." He then opened a drawer and brought a folder, which he gave to Whitley. Upon opening it, Whitley was against shocked at what it had to say.

"Sir, are you sure? What about the other generals?" Revil just held his hand.

"Don't worry. Let me deal with them. Besides, I very much doubt they'll care about it. Its my forces that'll take the brunt of the assault after all." Whitley just sighed as he scratched his head.

"I'll try and get this done as fast as possible. After this, may I ask to be retransferred back to the White Base."

"Of course. That project is why we pulled you away from the White Base. You'll be transferred back once they arrived at Jaburo." Whitley just nodded before leaving the room. Once he was gone, Revil just looked out his window to oversee Jaburo base.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **RedRat8- I get what you're saying and I understand. As the story progresses, I hope to introduce my own beliefs and takes on people on Earth and space think of each other as well as the various interpretations people will undoubtedly have with the immigration to space. It'll probably show when Amuro meets up with his mother and mostly with Revil. I might also give Ramba Ral one of the Doms he was supposed to get as well as some scenes dedicated to Revil as I believe he's one of the only high-ranking officials in the Federation that isn't corrupt one way or another. I get what you're saying and I'll try to input some original ideas to this story as best as I can.**

 **Awareness Bringer- Thank you for spotting those errors, they help a lot with making this story better in terms of grammar. I'm honestly fine if Sunrise does reintroduce Fraw and her kid. It might help send the message of how war is awful and the effects it can have to a family. Heck, I'm honestly fine with most pairings or at the very least tolerate them.**

 **And yeah about Garma. According to the wiki and the T.V. version, the Dopp can actually fly without its wings. I don't how.**

* * *

 **Zeon controlled territory**

 **Some town**

* * *

Char was sipping some expensive wine as he watched Garma dance with the mayor's daughter. He chuckled as he watched Garma actually look happy as the two danced. And he knew the girl felt the same way. As he watched them dance, Char recalled the story of how they met. He knew the story well. After Zeon captured this town, Garma meet with the mayor in order to discuss occupational terms with him. As the terms were being discussed, Garma saw his daughter and was immediately smitten with her. After discussing the terms, Garma met her again and had a good talk with her, much to the displeasure of the mayor, but since he was recently conquered, he couldn't do anything. The meetings continued day and day until the two had a date together when Garma actually had a day off. When Char managed to make contact with Garma again, prior to this Trojan Horse nonsense, he talked endlessly of how this girl was the one for him and that'll he marry her when he gets the courage to ask his father for permission to marry her.

Though he hated Degwin with a passion for his role in his father's death, Char knew that he would give his blessing to Garma, wanting his favorite son to be happy. Plus, he knew that Degwin didn't have a problem with the common folk that live on Earth. Contrary to popular belief, Degwin was not a spacenoid supremacist. He just wanted Zeon to be independent from the corrupt Federation, which is known for its Earth elite favoring attitude as well as it being their attack dog. In fact, Char heard that Degwin was furious when Revil gave his "Zeon is exhausted" speech during the peace negotiations at Antarctica. A speech that he, along with many others, gave the Federation the spark they needed to continue their fight against Zeon.

" **To be honest, their love story would make quite a good story."** Thought Char as he watched the two leave the party, they were attending to be alone on a balcony. **"To bad that it'll end in tragedy if I'm going to have revenge against Degwin."** He was enjoying the last of his wine when a Zeon officer came up to him. "What is it, soldier?"

"We have a situation with the Trojan horse, sir." With that the soldier told him of what's happening with the Trojan horse.

* * *

 **New York City**

 **Sometime later**

* * *

Amuro was reviewing the combat data from Vega's last fight alone, a few days ago, with Chan. They were trying to think of an algorithm that can help Vega with combating more unpredictable foes. It was a long and tough process as the nature of their objective was keeping them from their goal.

" ***Sighs*** I think this is the best we can come up with at the moment Amuro." Chan said after finishing up with a set of algorithms for Vega. "We should call it a day. We've been at this for several hours."

"Not yet." Amuro said as he deleted his newest algorithms, deeming them worthless. "Just one more. I think I found the solution." As he worked, Chan just shook her head, worried for him. He's been overworking himself as of late, trying to increase Vega's combat effectiveness when fighting alone. Though he had completely recovered, Amuro and Vega believed it would be better if they improved Vega's combat potential when fighting alone as Amuro needed rest from time to time. Fighting when someone had combat fatigue was never a good idea.

"Amuro." Chan then made him look at her. Upon seeing Chan's worried face, Amuro paused. "I know how important this is to you and the crew, I really do, but you won't do much of anything if you overwork yourself. I'd seen the effects of overworking oneself back at Luna II. Its not a pretty sight." She then turned off his computer and managed to get him away from his chair. "Its important to know when to take a break, otherwise you'll be useless, Amuro. So please, take a break." Amuro just looked down and back at his computer. Deep down he knew she was right. Ryu had told him something similar back at Luna II. That he'll be useless if he doesn't try and get some of the things that a human body needs, like food and rest.

"You're right, Chan." Amuro said. "Maybe its time to call quits for now and rest up. Never know when I need to get back into the battlefield." Chan just nodded sadly, knowing he was right.

"I'll help you out the next time you want to do this. Promise." Amuro just smiled at that, thanking her.

"That'll be appreciated. To be honest, I wouldn't have gotten this far without you. You've been a big help." Chan just smiled at that.

"You're not bad yourself. You know your way around machines and electronics. From your father, I presume."

"Yup. Had me sent to schools with engineering programs in mind. He wanted me to be a worker in Anaheim, helping out with their various branches. Though I don't know which one he wanted me to be in."

"For what its worth, I'm sorry about your father." Amuro just waved his hand, saying that it was alright. He moved on from his death. "If you don't mind, I'd like to meet your mother someday. She must have been a good parent."

"She is. Hope she's alright. Heard that the front is near where we used to live." Chan stiffened upon hearing that. She also frowned when she saw the worry on Amuro's face. She prayed that Amuro's mother was safe and sound. He already lost one parent to this war, she had no idea what would losing both would do to him.

"I'm sure she's alright." Chan said. Though skeptical, Amuro shared in Chan's hope that she was safe.

"What about your parents? Are they…" Chan just shook her head.

"They're safe. My aunt is taking care of my two youngest siblings and my dad is in the Federation military. Mom is working as a secretary for general Revil. They're all in Jaburo so they're safe. Thank god. And my oldest sister is living in Side 6 so she's safe as well. The rest of my family is either dead or somewhere near where the fighting is."

"I'm sorry." Chan just shook her head at that.

"Thank you. I'm just so worried about them, but I think they're worried about me more. After all, I'm in Zeon territory in a ship that only gets support every now and then." Amuro just nodded, wondering why the Federation wasn't giving more support for them. This ship is the key to winning the war, isn't it?" Amuro wondered that too. Though he understood that they're in Zeon territory, he knew that they should be giving them better orders than what they gave them when Matilda came.

"Don't worry. We'll be leaving Zeon territory soon, so they don't have to worry about that anymore." Chan just nodded, knowing that once they pass over New York, they'll be safe. "And I'll make sure that you'll be able to see them again. I'll protect this ship with my life." Chan just blushed at that, grateful for the words. It was then that the intercom in Amuro's room sprung to life and Sayla's voice came out.

"Amuro. We need you out on the bridge. Bright's order." With that, the intercom shut down.

"Well, break's over. Back to the battlefield." Chan just nodded before wishing him good luck. Once he departed, she let out a sigh.

"That man. He's truly one of a kind."

* * *

 **Bridge**

* * *

"Sorry, sir." Amuro said as he made his way to the bridge. "What's the matter?" He looked around to see that the other pilots are there along with Carmine.

"Nothing is wrong, Amuro." Bright said he looked at the holographic projection of the area surrounding them. "Once we get through this city, we're safe from Zeon attacks. Unfortunately, the enemy must know that as well because we detected at least three Gaws in the area." Amuro just tensed at that. That was enough firepower to destroy them all. And knowing Zeon tactics, they have several squadrons of Dopps with them. And no telling how many Zakus.

"So, what are we going to do?" Amuro asked. "We can't leave without them spotting us and destroying us."

"Exactly, so we're going to have to fight our way out." Bright said. He then looked out the window and pointed to a football stadium near them. "We're going to use that as a hiding place for the White Base. We'll wait until the enemy is in our sights and let them have everything we got."

"It's not the best strategy." Carmine said, knowing the plan had its flaws. "But that's all we can do at the moment. The White Base can't take on three Gaws at the same time."

"Unfortunately, yes. We'll also have to force them to get into the right location for our fire to be effective, which means we have to use bait." Amuro was seeing where this was going and understood.

"I'll volunteer, sir." Amuro said. "Gundam has the best chance of surviving if any Zeon forces come at me." Bright just nodded. He was going to choose Gundam anyway, but to hear Amuro was fine with it, made him relieved. He didn't like it, but he had no choice.

"Alright. Guntank and Guncannon will be on standby near the White Base, both to help out with taking out the Gaws as well as taking out any Zakus that comes near us."

"Alright, we'll do our best, sir." Ryu said, determined to finally get out of Zeon territory. Kai, however, was skeptical.

"I just hope that we don't get blown to kingdom come before we get a chance to even fire." Kai said before leaving to suit up for the upcoming battle. The rest of the pilots left with him.

* * *

 **Gaw command ship**

* * *

"Zaku team, you're clear to launch." Char just nodded before jumping off the Gaw with two other Zakus. Upon landing he contacted Garma.

"Alright, Garma we're beginning our patrol now. We'll notify you if we spot the Trojan Horse." Garma just nodded and said good luck to him, something that Char said as well. Upon disconnecting, Char let out a smile.

" **Poor kid."** Thought Char as he led his team of Zakus deeper in the city in order to spot the Trojan horse. They absolutely know that the Trojan Horse was spotted heading here and it made sense. New York was on the edges of their controlled space and if they leave, they'll be able to enter contested lands with the Federation. This cannot happen. So, Garma rounded up what he can and sped towards New York. With the force they had, they should be able to take the Trojan Horse once and for all. That is unless the Trojan Horse gets the jump on them as Garma, for some stupid reason, had them all bunched up. His reasoning it'll help them overwhelm the Trojan Horse. To Char, however, he saw it as an opportunity to lose all their forces if the Trojan Horse ambushed them. Which is why he was sent ahead, to scout ahead for the Trojan Horse. Another, more sinister reason, was that he'll use the Trojan Horse to his advantage. Once he spotted the enemy ship, he'll give false information to Garma that'll lead to the Trojan Horse ambushing them. That is if they're in an ambush position in the first place. And if they're not, then he'll just have another opportunity down the line in this war.

"Alright, men. Spread out. Notify me and captain Garma if you spot the Trojan Horse. And if you spot the enemy mobile suits, inform me. We'll take them down together." Once the two pilots notified him that they received his orders, the three moved forward. As they scanned their surrounding area, the Gundam was lying in wait, having spotted the Zakus first. While Vega was monitoring the Zakus, Amuro was contacting the White Base.

"Sir, Char and two more Zaku pilots have touched down. Looks like their trying to find the White Base. Should I engage?"

"Only if you're spotted. If you've been spotted, try and lead them away from the White Base. They might think you're trying to go back to us."

"Understood." Amuro then disconnected the transmission and looked back at Char. "Char. We can't let him spot the White Base. We'll have to engage him if he gets too close to the White Base."

" **Affirmative. Should we engage soon?"** Vega asked as they watched the Zakus moving toward the White Base, not knowing that their prize was close by.

"Not yet. Need to get around them and ambush them." Amuro then switched the safety off the bazooka and was making his way around the Zakus. Unfortunately, a slight misstep caused a slight tremor in an abandoned building, which was caught the Zakus sensors. Turning around, the three Zakus made their way to the noise. Cursing to himself, Amuro hid near another building, hoping that the Zakus would soon ignore him. As they made their way to the building, Char was scanning the other building, knowing that they're tall enough to hide a mobile suit if its hidden well enough. As he scanned the buildings, he noticed a faint glimmer emitting from behind one building, something that would have been unnoticed by any normal pilot. But not to the Red Comet. Acting quickly, he fired a rocket to the glimmer. Alarmed by the rocket, Amuro moved the Gundam to safety, which allowed the Zakus to spot him. Acting quickly, Vega opened fire on one Zaku, hitting it in the head, disabling it. "Damn! Guess we're going with Bright's plan a lot earlier than I'd like! Vega, get me the best route to take to get the Zakus away from White Base."

" **Uploading now."** As the coordinates were coming in his computers, Amuro opened fire at the Zakus, forcing them to take cover. Saving the last two rockets, Amuro rush toward the coordinates, praying that the Zakus will follow him, which they did. While the regular Zaku was firing his machine gun, Char was waiting for the perfect opportunity to open fire with his bazooka. Needing an opportunity, Char contacted the other Zaku pilot and told him to use a cracker grenade near the Gundam's path. And he'll take a shot once the Gundam dodges the resulting blast. Understanding his orders, the Zaku grabbed a cracker and threw it. Detecting the cracker on the sensors, Vega moved the Gundam away from the blast radius, falling into Char's trap. As the rocket was coming at them, Amuro activated the thrusters and the Gundam managed to go above the rocket, causing it to hit a building instead.

" **Nice save, Amuro. I haven't anticipated that."** Acknowledging the praise, Amuro just turned the Gundam around and fired with the Vulcans, forcing the Zakus to take cover. As he watched the Gundam retreat further away, Char went into thought.

"Looks like the mobile suit is trying to lead us away from something." Said Char was he watched the Gundam's movements. It was too orderly in its attempt to retreat somewhere like it was planned. "Which mean…" Char then looked behind him. Activating his suits thrusters, he went back to their initial battle sight. "The Trojan horse is around here." Looking around through his targeting scopes, Char eventually spotted the White Base hiding in an abandoned sports arena. Getting their plan, Char smiled. "I see. That's a good strategy if done well." Char then chuckled darkly. **"And perfect for me."** He then contacted Garma. "Garma! Good news, I found the Trojan Horse! It's just up ahead of you!"

"Understood. Good work." Garma then contacted the other Gaws and told them to rendezvous with him. Upon cutting off the transmission, Char made an evil smile.

" **Forgive me Garma, but for my vengeance to be completed, I need you out of the picture."** Char thought as he grabbed his controls. Just as he was about to move, his suddenly got a bad feeling, causing him to move away. Just in time too as a rocket came speeding toward his last location.

"Damn!' Amuro yelled as he threw his now useless bazooka away. When Vega detected Char was gone, Amuro realized with fear that Char must have figured out their plan. After dealing with the other Zaku, the two made their way back. To their horror, they spotted Char looking right at the White Bases hiding place. "Mr. Bright! Char spotted…ahh!" Amuro then yelled out when Char tackled them to the ground. Before Amuro could recover in time, Char brought out his heat hawk and brought it down to the Gundam's head. Fortunately, Vega reacted in time and grabbed the arm that held the heat hawk. The two mobile suit struggled for control for the super-heated weapon. Char gritted his teeth as he released the limiters on his suit in order to put more power for the arm with the heat hawk. He knew that the white mobile suit spotted him looking at the Trojan Horse. If he didn't stop them know, then his plan would be ruined this day. And he wasn't going to let that happen. Upon fully recovering, Amuro looked to see Char trying to bring his axe to the Gundam's head with Vega trying to stop him.

"Nice try, Char. But you got two to deal with!" Yelled Amuro as he fired the Vulcans at the Zaku's main camera. After that, Amuro had the Gundam knee the Zaku's stomach area before forcing it off. Grabbing a beam saber, Amuro attempt to land the killing blow on the Zaku when it suddenly activated its own thruster and escaped. Cursing out loud, Amuro was about to pursue when Vega notified him of the Gaws. Looking back to the White Base, Amuro looked on in horror as the Gaws began to approach the White Base. That horror soon turned to confusion when he saw them just pass over the White Base.

"What the…" Amuro said as he tried to process what happened. He only stopped when he saw the White base open fire, seizing the opportunity. As they watched the carnage happen, Amuro wondered what Char was thinking right now and what happened back there.

* * *

 **Char**

* * *

The Red Comet simply chuckled as he watched the carnage happen. His plan was a success. Despite the hiccup with the enemy mobile suit, his plan worked flawlessly. Deciding to rub it in, Char contacted Garma, who responded with panic.

"Sorry, Garma, but this has to be done." Char said as he watched as the Gaws fell one by one until only Garma's remained. To be honest, Char didn't feel a thing for the men that were caught in the crossfire in his crusade for vengeance. It was a necessary sacrifice in his eyes. "Blame all of this on the misfortune of your birth and your family."

"What?" Garma demanded, shocked at what Char is saying. What was he trying to say?

"Don't take this personally. Just thank your father." With that Char cut the commlink and watched the fireworks. Garma, meanwhile, wasn't responding too well of this betrayal. Both angry and hurt at his supposed friend's betrayal, Garma tore his headset before grabbing the controls of the Gaw and had it steer back at the Trojan Horse, which was now lifting up to the air, still firing at them.

"If I'm going down, I'll go down in glory! I'll ram this ship into that Trojan Horse!" With determination, Garma charged forward, not caring if he lost his life. The White Base crew, meanwhile, was shocked at this and focused fire at the remaining Gaw. The Guncannon and Guntank doing the same. As his Gaw suffered more damage, Garma just gritted his teeth as he thought of his father and his love, Icelina. Which was soon replaced with the flag of his nation. Yelling out with patriotism, Garma made his last few words. "Long live the Principality of Zeon!" With that, the White Base's main guns landed a hit at the Gaw's main body, finally destroying it. As the airship exploded, everyone on the bridge of the White Base let out a sigh of relief. They did it. They destroyed the last opposition that prevented them from exiting Zeon territory and into Federation controlled airspace. With no amount of relief, Bright ordered the extraction of the Gundam from the ground along with the other mobile suits. Amuro, who watched the whole thing, talked with Vega once it was over.

"What happened back there?" Asked Amuro, still puzzled with what happened. He was sure Char spotted the White Base and he had enough time to relay that information to the Gaw attack group. So, why did they pass over the White base? "Why didn't the Gaws know where the White Base was exactly?"

" **I don't know."** Vega said, equally perplexed. " **I made multiple conclusions of why Char didn't inform the Gaws of where the White Base is, but none of them make any logical sense. And there was no possible way he didn't spot the White Base and inform them of its locations. He simply had too much time."** Amuro nodded his head in agreement.

"That Char." Amuro mumbled. "What the heck is going on in his mind?" Upon seeing the White Base approaching, Amuro activated the thrusters and flew back to the hanger bay, knowing that Bright needed to hear this.

* * *

 **Side 3**

 **The Palace of the Zabi family**

 **The next day**

* * *

The next day, the tragedy of Garma's death was brought to Degwin himself. With a heavy heart, the soldier that was selected to give him this message delivered the heartbreaking news to the Sovereign. Upon hearing the news of his favorite son's death, Degwin just got up and dropped his cane, too shocked to properly respond to the news.

* * *

 **A few days later**

 **Jaburo base**

* * *

General Revil was patiently waiting as the last of the Federation admirals and generals arrived, knowing what he proposed to do requires them all to give their consent. Once they all arrived, he began the meeting.

"Thank you all for arriving." Revil said as started. "As you all know, Zeon has just recently suffered a major defeat at the hands of the White Base, who managed to kill the leader of their occupational forces, Garma Zabi. With his death, we have an opportunity to strike at the heart of their mining operation on Earth. Something that you all approved on." After the end of his sentence, Revil allowed the officials to sink this information in. The other Federation officials began to whisper amongst themselves, wondering on what Revil's intent was. They already knew of their planned operation against Odessa. Heck, they all approved of it, seeing the advantages of taking it. So where was he going with this. They soon got their answer when Revil spoke again. "But what I ask of you next concerns the White Base crew. As you all know, they're all staffed by young men and women, with the oldest being only in their twenties. They're also without much support besides one Medea supply drop. Yet despite that, they accomplished something that none of our ships and their crews could have done by themselves alone. They killed Garma Zabi and destroyed, by our latest reports, more than ten Zakus as well as multiple Dopps, Magella tanks, and even three Gaws. Something that couldn't have been done by any of our ships before. If it was up to me, I would give them the support they deserve and rightly so. But we can't. Not yet. They're still a crucial element to winning this war and we need them on the front lines."

"So, what are you saying, Revil? Get to the point." Asked one Federation general, getting impatient. Revil just ignored him before saying what he wanted from them.

"What I'm asking from you all is to give your approval to our new mobile suit program and I'm not referring to the GMs. What I'm referring to is a new project intended to improve upon the initial design of the late Tem Ray's Gundam." Revil then showed them a schematic of the intended upgrade to the Gundam. The more technical generals and admirals looked at the schematics and were slightly impressed. "Since they're in contested territories still, this is the best we can give them until they arrive in Jaburo or any of our major bases. So, I'm asking you all to support this project, both with consent and funding." The other officials just looked at each other, not convinced of even doing it. The White Base crew was doing fine without them. There was no point in giving them more support, even if it's an upgrade to their best mobile suit. Besides, what would they gain? An already expensive project that'll become even more expensive if they give this upgrade. They already poured a lot of money into the GM project. They weren't willing to give out more for mobile suits. Especially if they'll turn out to be inferior to the Zeon Zaku and they need to fund their other branches of the Federation military. Seeing that they were reluctant to move forward on this as well as anticipating it, Revil sweetened the deal.

"Think about it this way. You'll all have nothing to lose if this proves to be a failure." The other officials were looking at Revil now. "If this fails, I'll take complete responsibility for its failure. You'll all be safe from any backlash from the public. But if it does succeed, you'll all get a more powerful weapon than what Tem Ray initially promised from the original specs. Not only that, but you'll be credited for this new standard to mobile suit warfare." The officials were getting more interested now. "Plus, it'll show the public that the Federation does care for its troops. We're helping out a ship that, by right, can handle on its own for an extended period of time. But we help anyway, this should help with PR." The officials all looked at each other, thinking on the matter more. When they put their thoughts into it, Revil made some solid points. They really have nothing to lose if they put their names into the consent forms. Just one thing kept them from entirely agreeing.

"How much does this all cost?" Demanded one official. Revil then gave the data toward them. Upon seeing the cost, the officials were shocked. It was much lower than they anticipated.

"With the help of doctor Whitley, a member of Project V, we cut down on initial costs of the project by about half. And possibly more with your help. So, I ask you, will you help make this upgrade a reality." The officials all just looked at each other for one final time before nodding their heads.

"Alright, Revil, you win." Said an admiral. "But if this fails, it's on your head." Revil just nodded, ready to accept the consequences if the project fails. With that, the Federation officials gave their official consent for the new project. Satisfied it went his way, Revil then focused on other tasks that they needed to do, like planning for the capture of Odessa.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Awareness Bringer- Not telling what the upgrade is. But I will say it'll take the weapons and equipment of one Gundam and attempt to incorporate those into the original as best as possible while keeping the strengths of both. I guess you can say he'll get a new suit at Odessa. And thank you again for telling me of those errors.**

 **RedRat8- Yeah, Ramba Ral with a more powerful mobile suit like a Dom is quite terrifying really. Honestly, I argue that had the Dom was introduced even earlier in the war and the Zeons just focused on it instead of all the crazy mobile armors (Though I will admit they made some powerful machines of war with those mobile armors.) they decided to waste resources at and even the Gelgoog, they might have won the war.**

* * *

 **Some beach**

* * *

"Children, don't go too deep!" Yelled Fraw as she played with the remaining children on White Base. With them finally out of Zeon territory, the White Base staff decided now was a good time to do a thorough analysis of the ship's systems. Though there was still a Zeon presence, it was far more minimal than what they had to deal with. With nothing to do but relax, non-essential personal were taking the chance to enjoy the sun and the beach they decided to park the ship at, much to the chagrin to the engineers.

"Earth." Sayla said as she basked in the sunlight. "No wonder earthnoids like this place so much. Its truly beautiful and relaxing."

"Sure is." Said Mirai as she two based in the sunlight. "Its not like the artificial lighting out in a colony that's for sure." Sayla just nodded, agreeing with her. Sometimes the real thing was better. As she watched the children play, Sayla thought of her childhood, the good parts anyway, and smiled. Back when there wasn't a war and people were just trying to live their lives as best as possible. She soon stopped thinking of her childhood lest the bad times crouched in her mind and thought of something more recent.

"By the way, have you seen Amuro? I haven't seen him, Kai, Hayato, or Chan since we landed?"

"Oh them. They all took off in the Gunperry. Amuro's hometown was nearby and he wanted to go check up on her. The others tagged alone with one of Carmine's men. Guy was admanent in them taking civilian clothes." Sayla nodded in understanding, agreeing with Carmine.

"Can't blame him. Heard there's a Zeon base near here." Mirai just nodded in agreement.

"Let's hope the others don't get spotted by them or else they'll be in great trouble." Sayla just nodded, praying for their safety.

* * *

Amuro's hometown

* * *

"This it?" Asked Corporal Stratton, one of Carmine's best men. He was ordered by Carmine to escort to the kids to Amuro's hometown in case something goes wrong. He also ordered them all to take civilian clothing in case they meet with Zeon soldiers.

"Yes." Said Amuro with excitement, eager to see his mother again. He, like everyone else, was wearing civilian clothing in case they were spotted by Zeon soldiers. That way, they can't link them back to the White Base or any Federation forces in the area.

"Alright. I'll land someplace obscure and try my best to hide the Gunperry. Can't afford to let the Zeon find this thing. It'll cause to many complications. I'll catch up when I can." Amuro just nodded before thanking the man and going to the cargo bay, where Chan, Kai, and Hayato were waiting. Once there, he saw Kai holding a standard issue pistol, checking it for any faults or problems, while Hayato was speaking with Chan. They all wore the clothing they wore before the Zeon attack on Side seven. Since Chan wasn't there and was instead on Luna II with only military uniforms allowed there, she had to borrow some from Sayla and Fraw, who had some spares for her. She wore a red jacket over a white shirt and some black pants and shoes. She found them to be a little small for her, but she'll handle it. "You guys didn't have to come, you know."

"Oh, come on. It was either this or being stuck on a beach. Besides, wanted to see your mother for myself." Kai said while placing the pistol in his jacket pocket, with the safety, of course, and the clip in the other pocket.

"Same. Wanted to see if one of our parents survived." Hayato said, knowing that his parents were dead from the Zeon attack as well as Kai's. Truth be told, if just one of their parents were alive, then he would be happy to know that one of them still had someone to go back to once this war was over. He then looked at Chan. "Um…not including you Chan. Sorry." Chan just smiled, understanding in her eyes.

"Its okay, Hayato. To be honest, I feel bad that both of my parents are alive while most of yours aren't." Amuro frowned at that before speaking up.

"Don't be." Amuro said as he made his way to them. "Its not your fault Chan. You had no control over what happened." He then frowned. "It's this damn war's fault. Lot of people lost someone close to them. Its honestly rare to find someone who didn't lose someone in this war. Well, unless you're from Side six. Anyway, point is, don't beat yourself up Chan that your parents are still alive and not ours. If anything, you should be glad that they're alive." Chan just widened her eyes a bit before looking at Hayato and Kai, who both just nodded their heads in agreement. Smiling a bit, she thanked them.

"Alright. Let's go. Don't want to keep Amuro from his mother any longer." With that, the four got out of the Gunperry and walked to Amuro's home town. As they walked, they noticed that the place look deserted with only a few people outside and that they were packing up.

"What happened?" Asked Hayato, though he knew the answer.

"Must have all left. Heard that there's still some fighting thats close by." Kai said as he noticed that not a single kid was running around and that the adults looked a bit depressed. Amuro just nodded as they walked passed the town. His face soon lit up when he saw his old home. Running ahead of everyone else, he sprinted his way to his old home. As he approached the home, he began to hear a song. Confused, Amuro started to slow down. Looking inside via a window, he was shocked to see Federation soldiers playing around in his home, drinking beer.

"Amuro! What's wrong?" Asked Chan as she, Kai, and Hayato arrived. The three looked inside and were surprised. "What are they doing here? Regulations clearly state that Federation soldiers can't enter an owned house without permission." Without answering, Amuro opened the door and saw that the soldiers were clearly drunk. Despite this, he knew he needed to ask them some questions regarding his mother. With that, he looked around for the radio that was playing the music. Once he found it, he turned it off, causing the soldiers to look at the person who shut off their radio.

"Who the hell are you four?" Asked one soldier with a slurred tone. Chan just looked at the man in disgust before answering.

"Well, we're looking for our friend's mother. This was his house before he moved up to space with father, but his mother stayed behind." Chan explained as she held Amuro's shoulder. "Do you have any information about his mother. She has his brown hair." The soldiers, clearly wanting them to leave, just answered.

"Sorry kids, but when we got here, no one was here. Place was abandoned." Said the leader, holding his beer bottle. "Think it was two weeks since we took this place for ourselves." Amuro, shocked to hear this, denied it all.

"You're lying!" He then ran toward the various rooms in the house, hoping that they were wrong.

"Oh, Amuro." Chan said as she held her hands in worry. She looked around the house until she spotted an old wooden doll on top of the fire place. Walking over to it, she grabbed it and examined it. The wear and tear on the doll indicated that it was at least a decade old, likely meaning that it belonged to Amuro when he still lived her. The others just stayed silent as the Federation soldiers just laughed at Amuro, jeering at his attempts to find his mother. Hayato clenched his fists while Kai just stared coldly at them with a face of indifference. This was the government they were fighting for? Whose soldiers get drunk and mock those that they're suppose to protect and fight for? Once Amuro returned to them, looking down casted, Chan gave him the doll. Recognizing his childhood toy, Amuro took it, surprised that it was still in relatively good condition.

"Thanks, Chan." As he looked at the doll, thinking about his mother, a Federation soldier came up to him.

"Still looking for your mother, kid?" Asked the soldier. "Well, maybe I can give you what I think happened. She died while trying to run away from all the fighting. Or maybe she just didn't love you enough to stay and decided to go and have another kid. One that actually knows where she is." Gritting his teeth in anger at what he said, as well as everyone else, Amuro was about to punch him in the face when Chan put her hand on his shoulder again. Looking at her, he saw her motioning to the door. Realizing that they'll get in trouble if they pick a fight again men at are much stronger than them, Amuro just let it go. Taking a deep breath, Amuro just left with the group, still steamed though. As the soldiers laughed at them, the four just closed the door and left, feeling more than a bit peeved at their actions.

"Who do they think they are?" Demanded Hayato as he glared back at the house. "What the hell is their problem?" Chan just sighed before trying to rationalize the situation.

"They're drunk. People say things that they shouldn't say when they're drunk. But what they said is completely uncalled for." She then looked at Amuro in sympathy. "I'm sorry for all those awful things they said. You didn't deserve them."

"Just drop it." Amuro said, still a bit peeved at the Federation soldiers and he didn't want to unleash it on his friends.

"What do we do now?" Kai asked. "Keep searching for your mother?" Amuro just nodded his head. He needed to know what happened to his mother. If she really moved or she died during the war. Maybe one of their old neighbors can tell him. Before he could tell them the plan, he heard a commotion. Running over, he saw two Federation soldiers with a woman. The woman seemed to be begging the soldiers about something. Going over, he managed to overhear their conversation.

"Please, sir. Can you pay me for that apple? Its all we have to go on here." Begged the woman as the soldier just sneered at her. Pulling out a coin from his pocket, he then lazily tossed it into the ground.

"Oops." The soldier said insincerely as his buddy snickered. Sighing to herself, the woman knelt to pick up the coin. Clenching his fists at the display and recognizing the woman as one of his old neighbors, Amuro finally snapped, his anger finally unleashed.

"Don't pick it up!" Yelled Amuro as he approached the three, who looked at the young boy coming at them. "What's wrong with you two!? She's struggling to make a living and you just treat her like this!? Don't you have any compassion!?"

"This isn't any of your business, kid." Said one of the soldiers, annoyed that a kid was telling him how to behave. "Move along. Besides, the old woman can handle herself and should know her place." Gritting his teeth, Amuro just charged and tackled the man that dropped the coin. He repeatedly punched the man as he tried to grasp the situation. After the forth punch, the other soldier hit Amuro with the butt of his rifle, knocking him off his companion. Before Amuro could get up, the other soldier began to hit Amuro with his foot, which was soon joined by his friend. "This will teach you punk!" Yelled the soldier as he kicked Amuro. He was so focused on teaching Amuro a lesson that he didn't noticed another civilian tackle him.

"That's it! I've had it." Yelled Hayato as he punched the soldier he tackled. "You guys don't deserve to be called soldiers!" Upon seeing his friend being assaulted, Hayato snapped and went to help. Consequences for assaulting them be damned. To Hayato, this was more than him. This was standing up to Amuro and that lady. Once the other soldier realized his compatriot was being attacked by Hayato, he tried to help only to get suckered punched by Kai, who also had enough of the behavior of the Federation troops in the area. With the grunts off of him, Amuro joined in and helped the two beat up the Federation soldiers. Chan, meanwhile, was helping out the lady.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" Asked Chan as she helped the woman up. The woman, grateful for her assistance, nodded her thanks before looking at the fight before them. Upon seeing Amuro, she gasped in recognition.

"Is that?" Said the woman before running over and begging them all to stop fighting, which wasn't heard as everyone was too busy fighting each other to listen. They only stopped when a gunshot was heard, causing over one to look over to see Stratton coming over, pistol in hand.

"What the hell is going on here?" Demanded Stratton as the boys walked away from the soldiers. "What the hell were you boys thinking?"

"Just teaching these guys some manners." Kai said, nonchalant of the whole thing. Stratton just shook his head before going over to the soldiers, who were glaring at the boys.

"I'm sorry about this. Corporal Stratton of the EFSF. What's your designation and rank?" He then held his military ID for the soldiers to see. Upon seeing the ID, the soldiers straightened up and spoke.

"Private Hayes of the EFGF, sir. Simply put corporal, these kids jumped us when we're trying to get a snack. Bunch of ingrates." The soldier said, lying of course. Stratton just rose an eyebrow at that, knowing that the man was lying as Amuro and Hayato didn't seem the type of people to just attack someone without reason.

"Somehow I doubt that private. I know these kids and they aren't the type to just attack people without reason." The soldiers got annoyed by this and were about to argue when the old woman and Chan stepped forward.

"Actually, sir, these men were being unprofessional toward this woman, sir. When she begged them to pay, they just threw the money to the ground and expected her to pick it up." The woman just nodded, siding with Chan.

"Is this true, Private? And don't lie to me. That's an order." The man just growled before nodding. Sighing to himself, Stratton shook his head before speaking. "That kind of behavior is unbecoming of a soldier, boy. Its that type of behavior that makes people think the Zeons were right to fight us. That the Federation is corrupt and evil. That there isn't any good people left in it." The soldiers just growled as they listened to this speech from the man. "Now, I'll let you boys off with a warning if you apologize to the woman and pay her properly. That clear?" Eager to get away, the soldiers complied and did what Stratton requested. Upon giving the woman the money, the soldiers glared at the boys, who glared right back, before leaving. Once they were gone, Stratton looked at the pilots. "You boys aren't off the hook. What you did was completely uncalled for and against regulation. I know that you all aren't trained in the Federation military or even joined willingly, but your actions represent it, nonetheless. I know that those soldiers' actions were despicable, but what you did wasn't the right way to go either." The boys just grumbled to themselves as they listened to Stratton's speech. As he was speaking to them, Chan, knowing that this will get nowhere for now, just went up to Stratton and spoke to him.

"Sir, while I agree that they need to be disciplined, this isn't the place to do so." Chan said. "Its better if you do this on the ship and with Bright and Carmine. Besides, there's rumors of a Zeon base close by. We shouldn't be doing this close to our enemy." Sighing to himself, Stratton agreed and choose to report this to Bright and Carmine, who were probably better at this than him, despite being younger than him. Sighing in relief, the boys looked at Chan gratefully before looking at the woman.

"I'm sorry for all that, ma'am." Amuro said, walking over to the woman. "If it isn't too much to ask, do you recognize me?" The woman simply smiled at the question.

"How could I forget the boy who played with my little girl." Said the woman before motioning them all to follow her to her home, which they did. Once they arrived, however, they were shocked to see it was partly bombed out.

"What happened?" Asked Amuro. The woman simply sighed as she took a seat on her porch before explaining what happened.

"You see, a few weeks ago, the Zeons managed to build an airfield in the mountains near here. In response, the Federation outpost nearby tried to assault it, but they were shelled repeatedly from fighter planes and artillery. A few of the townsfolk were caught in the crossfire and died. Including my daughter and husband." The group was in shock at this and gave the woman their sympathy. The woman let out a few tears as she remembered the bombing. "War. It's just so awful." Everyone just nodded at that, allowing the woman a few minutes to cry. Once she was done, Stratton spoke to her.

"I'm sorry to hear that, ma'am. I truly am. But about what soldiers here? What happened to them?" The woman just sniffed a couple of seconds before speaking again.

"Well, I don't know why, but Federation headquarters just abandoned them after the outpost was destroyed. And they've been drinking their sorrows or passing it on us as a way to handle the thought of being abandoned by the Federation." Though they understood the soldier's predicament, that wasn't an excuse to get drunk and bully the residents of this town.

"I see." Amuro said, sad to hear her story. Much as he wanted to comfort her, he needed to find his mother. "Is my mother okay, ma'am? Did she leave town?" The woman just looked at him in confusion.

"You didn't receive any of her letters?" Asked the woman. "So, you don't know that she's at the refuges camp as a volunteer?" Upon hearing that, Amuro looked at the woman with hope.

"She's alive?" Asked Amuro, his voice filled with hope. The woman just smiled and nodded.

"Yes. The refugee camp is by the church. You remember where it is, right?" Amuro just nodded before thanking the woman, making her smile a bit. "Don't get hurt on your way Amuro!"

"I won't!" Yelled Amuro as he ran to the church. The group just shook their heads before asking the woman for directions. Once she gave it to them, they ran after Amuro, hoping to catch up to him.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **White Base**

* * *

Oscar Dublin, one of the operators that monitored for any enemy and friendly forces around the White Base, was monitoring the radar for any incoming enemy forces when he suddenly caught two incoming signals fast approaching.

"Mr. Bright! We have enemy fighters closing in!" Said Oscar, causing Bright to look out the window. This was a bad time. They still haven't finished with repairs and most of their pilots were gone. Just as he was about to order a fighter be sent out, the two signals left as soon as they came. "They left sir! Looks like they were just a standard recon group." Bright just frowned at that. That meant that there was an enemy base somewhere nearby.

"What should we do, Bright?" Asked Mirai, having finished with her break. "Should we intercept them?"

"I don't know." Said Bright. "They may not have noticed us, otherwise we should have spotted a flare coming from them. And if we try to attack them, they'll notice us for sure and try and contact their base of operations."

"But if they've did spot us, they may be going back to report about our position and be back with reinforcements." Bright just nodded, seeing her point. "I think its better safe than sorry, Bright."

"Agreed, have a core fighter sent out to intercept and destroy those fighters!" Sayla just nodded before relaying the orders. Soon, Ryu was sent out to take out the enemy aircraft. Once that was done, Sayla received a transmission. An encrypted one.

"Mr. Bright! We're getting a transmission from Lieutenant Matilda! She wants you." Upon hearing that, Bright took the captain's seat and took the call.

"Lieutenant, its good to see you again." Bright said as her face appeared from a screen above the helmsman's position.

"Likewise. I'm glad to see that you've all made it out of Zeon territory." Matilda said as her ship was approaching the White Base. "Much as I like to say this was just for a friendly chat, duty calls. We need your assistance."

"Go ahead." Bright was ready for anything that Matilda needed them. Matilda just nodded before giving the White Base coordinates to a Zeon base.

"I'm not sure if you know, but a Zeon base is nearby, its been sending airstrikes against nearby Federation positions and has been used as a supply base for Zeon forces. Federation HQ has largely ignored it, deeming it unimportant, but I say otherwise." Bright just raise an eyebrow before asking her what she's planning on doing. She just smirked before telling him the plan. "Since its filled with supplies and with you nearby, we can attack the base and relieve them of their supplies. That way, we've cut back on Zeon air attacks and gain supplies for the soldiers in the area." Bright just nodded, seeing the idea.

"Alright, I'll notify you once we're ready to go." Bright said. "We'll go in force and attack them with our mobile suits. We'll force them to surrender and take the base for ourselves." Matilda just nodded before saying she wait nearby. Once the connection was severed, Bright ordered that Amuro and the others arrive back at the ship as they'll need them.

"Are you sure, Bright?" Sayla asked. "Pretty sure we just need Vega and Ryu to deal with the enemy base."

"I'm sure, we don't know if the enemy has mobile suits or not. Better to be prepared should the worse come to pass." Sayla just nodded, before going on the comms, trying to reach the group away from the White Base.

* * *

 **Refugee camp**

* * *

"Man. Its bigger than I thought it would be." Kai said as the group passed though the various tents surrounding the church. The other just nodded as they watched people hand out food to others in need or were waiting for their meal. Amuro just nodded as they watched people trying to remake something of their old lives before the town was caught in the war. The misery and desperation gave them all shudders and made them wonder why the Federation hadn't tried to attack the Zeon base. "Well, let's focus on your mother, alright Amuro. After that, let's see if we can't help this people a bit." Amuro nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you guys do it now? I can find her on my own." Stratton just pursed his lips, thinking it through. Just as he was about to give his answer, he got a call from the White Base. Picking it up, he answered.

"Yes, sir?" A few seconds passed as he received his orders. "Alright. I understand. I'll tell the others." Once he put his radio away, he turned to the others. "Just got a call from Bright. He's ordering us back to the White Base. Says we're to help Lieutenant Matilda with a raid on the nearby Zeon base. I'll get the Gunperry and bring it back here. Just be ready for a pickup."

"You're not forcing us to go?" Asked Hayato, knowing it would be fast if they all go.

"Nah. I know how important this is to Amuro and I know these people need all the help they can get. So, you guys wait here until I come back with the plane. Just don't pick anymore fights." The teens just smiled gratefully at Stratton before saying their thanks as he left for the Gunperry.

"Alright. I'll go to the sacks over there." Said Amuro, pointing to the large metal sacks nearby. "You guys try and help out."

"Yeah, sure." Kai said. "Just go and find your mom. Don't want this to be a complete waste of time." Amuro just nodded before taking off. "Alright guy and girl, let's go find someone that can give us directions." With that Kai left toe find someone that can help them with the refuges. Before she followed Kai, Chan looked at Amuro's direction, hoping that he'll find his mother.

As he made his way to the metal sacks, he knocked on the door to the closet one. Once someone opened the door, an old man, he spoke to him.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you, sir, but have you seen a woman by the name of Kamaria Ray?" The man, recognizing the name, just nodded and pointed to another shack.

"She's in there. Treating people that're suffering from the attack on the town sometime ago. She shouldn't be too busy. No one is seriously hurt or anything. So, you should be fine to disturb her for a bit." Thanking the man, Amuro went to the pointed sack and opened it, revealing a bunch of people in beds, getting medical treatment or were just waiting for their turn. As he looked around for his mother, he ventured deeper into the sack, trying not to disturb the people that were hard at work. Eventually, he passed through one bed and saw his mother finishing up giving water to a patient. Happiness filling up in him, Amuro walked over and lightly tapped her shoulder.

"Yes, what is it?" Asked Kamaria as she turned around, only to gasp at seeing Amuro. Blinking a few times to make sure it isn't an illusion, she cried out in happiness as she embraced her son, who returned the embrace. After a few moments of this touching moment, she let go and spoke softly to her son. "You've grown so much, Amuro."

"I guess I did." Amuro said with a smile, happy to see his mother again. "I take it you're not busy, right?" Kamaria just shook her head.

"No, of course not. I just finished up. I should be free now." She then led her son to an empty bed. Upon sitting on it, she began to ask questions to Amuro. "While I'm glad to see you again Amuro, where's your father? Did he let you leave Side 7 just to visit me?" Amuro just donned a sad expression on his face. Upon seeing it, Kamaria assumed the worst. "Don't tell me…that the war came to Side 7?" Amuro just closed his eyes before nodding. He then sat next to her.

"It's a long story, mom." Amuro said before telling her everything that happened at Side 7 and on the White Base.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **One of the refugee camp mess halls**

* * *

"Is there any way we can help, sir?" Asked Chan as she spoke to the main chef of this mess hall. The man just sighed as he thought of something for them to do.

"Honestly, unless you can cook or have knowledge on more advanced medical procedures, we're doing fine here. I suppose you could go and talk with Scott. He's in charge with supply distribution. He could use the help with passing down supplies to the refugees. He's in the big tent nearby. You'll know it when you see it." Said the chef. Thanking the man, Chan led the boys out of the mess hall and outside.

"Well, this is great." Kai said as he looked around them. "Gets we got supply distribution to do now. Hope people won't complain about it."

"Come on, Kai, you knew this was going to be boring the moment you agreed to do this." Hayato argued, making Kai just shrugged, knowing he was right. As they walked, Hayato watched as people looked at them suspiciously. "Why are they looking at us like that?"

"It because we're strangers, man. With what happened to the town nearby and the nearby base, they're wary of any new faces. That and the behavior of the Feddies doesn't help much either." Chan would have agreed with Kai's assessment, but something about their stares towards them that seemed to extend beyond just wariness. And it scarred her.

"I don't know about that, Kai." Said Chan. "Somethings off with some of the stares we've been getting. We should hurry up to that supply depot." Kai, getting what she was saying, agreed and the three began to move faster. Once they arrived, they saw a man taking inventory of the supplies. Upon seeing them approaching, the man rose an eyebrow and walked towards them.

"You can't get any of these supplies. Wait until you get your delivery of food and water." Said the man that they assumed to be Scott.

"Oh no, sir. We're here to help!" Said Chan, stepping forward. "You see, we wanted to help out any way we can. And we were wondering if you wanted some help. One of the chefs pointed to you." Upon hearing that, the man relaxed. If that was the case, he supposed he could trust them.

"I see." Said the man. "Well, I honestly need some help with categorizing all the supplies we have left. Need to see how much of everything we have and what we need to ration. It'll be appreciated if you guys help out with that." Chan let out a smile at that.

"We could do that, sir. And with us, it'll get done much faster and you have more time to do other tasks." The man nodded in agreement.

"Alright, suppose I could use the help. Names Scott, by the way." Said the man. As he was about to tell them their jobs, he thought of something and spoke to them. "Before we go, got to ask. Are any of you from the colonies? Like born and raise in them Sides?" The three just looked at each other in confusion before nodding. Scott cursed at that before whispering to them. "Then keep that information to yourselves. Lot of people don't like, even hate, those from space. Especially after what the Zeons did to the town. They might do something awful to you guys if they found out that your spacenoids. Really bad." Chan and Hayato were shocked to hear this. They couldn't believe that people would go so far just because of what the Zeons did. They did a lot of morally disgusting acts, sure, but to just randomly attack people just because they're spacenoids? Kai, however, wasn't surprised. Once, when his family was on vacation on Side 6. They were meeting up with some of his parent's friends at a restaurant. Things were going well when suddenly they all heard gunshots. It came from a nearby mall. Fearing for their lives, everyone hid in either the bathrooms or the kitchen, something that the staff didn't mind. Unfortunately, the whatever was going on came to them as gunfire began to erupt in the restaurant. Nobody was, fortunately, killed and the perpetrators were arrested. It wasn't until three weeks later that Kai found out that the incident was caused by a bunch of Earth elitists that saw spacenoids as the bottom of the barrel in society. Kai honestly thought that was just an insolated incident, that it was just some people trying to make a name for themselves or make them feel special, but he was wrong. As he grew older, he saw more prejudiced to spacenoids from those from Earth. People were selected for jobs based on whether they're from Earth or not. Bullied just for being from space. And, worst of all, being killed just from being born on a space colony. Fortunately, Kai wasn't subject to much of this as his family was mostly able to avoid those type of people, but he never forgot about the mistreatment of spacenoids given by those from Earth that he heard or witnessed.

Maybe the Zeons were right to want independence. For most of its time, the Earth Federation was just an attack dog for those from Earth's upper class, treating those from the space colonies with nothing but disgust, yet they treated those from Earth with respect. Getting someone that was actually nice, who was also in charge of the Federation garrison on the colony you were in, was considered rare. Most people from Earth didn't like highly of spacenoids and those in the military that were form space, weren't in very high-ranking positions as officers and soldiers from Earth were usually considered more fitting for promotion over those from colonies, even if they were better than they're earthnoid counterparts. You were considered lucky if you were able to get a high-ranking position in the military if you're a spacenoid. With all that, Kai couldn't really blame the Zeons for wanting independence from a corrupt government that served only a select few. It was their actions that Kai couldn't take. Though he showed a mask of indifference, he was, in truth, horrified at operation British and the amount of deaths that the Zeons caused when they dropped a colony Earth. It really demonized them to many, especially those from Side 5. In honesty, he was glad he joined up with the Federation. He'll take corrupt and racist individuals over those that'll justify such massive losses of life. That being said, it still annoyed him that people would fight someone or kill them over such a petty thing.

"We'll keep that shut, sir. Don't you worry." Kai said as he looked around for anyone eavesdropping. Whether it was a good or bad sign, he didn't spot anyone.

"Okay, good." Scott said. "Follow me." With that, the three followed the man to where they were needed.

* * *

 **With Amuro**

* * *

Meanwhile, Amuro was finishing the story of what happened at Side 7 to his mother. After the story finishing, Kamaria Ray just sighed in anguish.

"I didn't know…that the Zeons would go so far to win the war." She then sighed again. "This war is just so terrible, Amuro. You have no idea how many people are suffering right now in this camp and beyond." Amuro just stayed silent, knowing she was right. He had no idea how many people were missing their parents, siblings, or even their children right now. And he had no idea how many more were going to suffer through something like him as the war progresses. It was honestly daunting to him.

"I know, mom." Said Amuro. "Are all these people from our town or from other places?" Kamaria just nodded.

"Both. Both the Federation and Zeons were relentless in their attacks on each other. They didn't care about who got in the crossfire so long as they hurt their enemies. So many people here lost their homes, loved one, and even their way of life just because the Federation and Zeons didn't know when to stop and consider if they're hurting people that just want to stay neutral from all this." She then sighed again. "And you have no idea how you're father died?" Amuro just nodded his head.

"No. I assumed he died during the initial volley. Lot of the other Federation personal were killed when the first shots were fired." Amuro said, not wanting to think about how his dad died. Sighing to himself, he decided to talk about the White Base crew. "So, anyway mom, I've made some friends out of the crew of the ship I'm serving on."

"Oh. That's good to hear." Kamaria was happy that her son made some friends from those in Side 7. He was always such a reclusive boy and had very few friends during his time on Earth. It was nice to hear he made more, even if it was with military personal. "How are they?"

"They're good people." Said Amuro with a smile. "There's Kai. He's a bit of a jerk initially, but he's actually a good guy once you get to know him. Hayato's got a good heart and he's willing to help out when I need it. Same with a cadet named Ryu. I also made friends with three girls. Sayla, Chan and Fraw. Sayla is a bit of a mystery for me, but she seems nice. Fraw was my first friend on Side 7 and she's been there whenever dad was away for work. Chan, my most recent friend, was a cadet from Luna II. She's been transferred to the ship I'm serving in and we've been bonding over technical stuff." Kamaria just smiled upon hearing all those names. Feeling proud that her son was finally gaining more people in his life.

"I'm proud that you've made some friends, Amuro." Kamaria said. "Its good to know that you have people that aren't from your family." Amuro just nodded. "So, are all your new friends from space?" Amuro just looked at her in confusion, wondering why she asked, before answering.

"Well I'm not sure about Ryu, but everyone I mentioned was born in space colonies. Why?" Kamaria just bit her lip upon hearing that.

" **Not good."** Thought Kamaria. Knowing her son needed to know, she whispered to him. "I know this shouldn't be said, but you need to know. There's a great deal of people here who hate those from space a great deal." Amuro just looked at her in shock.

"What do you mean?" Kamaria just sighed before explaining it in detail.

"Ever since this refugee camp was made, the Zeons have made routine inspections, trying to see if we're hiding guerilla fighters or Federation soldiers. While here, they take what they want and treat everyone with disdain, even the children. One time a boy and his father were shot by a Zeon soldier for not answering his questions. They survived, but the camp has become anti-Zeon since. Unfortunately, the spread to spacenoids in general." Amuro couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just because Zeon soldiers were harassing them, the camp just began to hate all spacenoids? Even ones from Side 6?

"That's completely stupid." Whispered Amuro. "I meet both good and bad people in space. They're not so different from those from Earth. Why do these people think all spacenoids are bad?" Kamaria just nodded her head in agreement, sharing in her son's thoughts.

"I don't know." Kamaria said. "I don't know how that sentiment came to be and I wish it hadn't. I'm just glad that your friends aren't here. People may just attack them just because they're not from here." Amuro just gasped upon hearing that.

"Mom, I brought some of them with me. They went to help out with the refugees." Kamaria just gasped upon hearing that. Worried for them, Amuro got up and ran out the door, hoping to find them and warn them. Kamaria, knowing that the more extreme refugees would hurt her son if they saw him support his friends, went with him, hoping she could diffuse the possible confrontation before it could escalate. As the two Rays looked around for any possible clues, they suddenly heard a gunshot. Fearing the worst, the two went over to where the gunshot was fired from with people coming out of the tents, wondering what was going on. As they were running, they heard two more gunshots. Gritting his teeth in fear and worry, Amuro sprinted toward the sounds, hoping that his friends were all right. When he finally made his way to the commotion, his heart stopped as he saw Chan tending to a man and Hayato, both suffering a head injury and were bleeding, while Kai was holding a gun at six armed men, all with either hammers or bats. They had them surrounded and looked ready to kill them. A few seconds passed and one of them charged at Kai, forcing him to shoot him in the knee, bringing him down. Unfortunately, the others saw the opportunity and rushed in. Kai managed to non-fatally shoot two more before he was forced to tackle one from hitting Chan with a hammer. With him distracted, the other ganged up on Chan and the two wounded people. They were about to bludgeon them to death. Upon seeing the look of terror on Chan's face, Amuro went into action. Acting quickly, he pulled out his emergency gun and fired twice. The gunshots hit the men in the guts, shocking them. The men dropped their weapons and fell to the ground in shock. Amuro then fired high up in the air, causing everyone to look at him.

"Get away from them!" Demanded Amuro as he pointed the gun at the man that was now on top of Kai. The man just held his hands before backing off from Kai, who spit in the ground, before helping Chan with Hayato and the man. With his friends behind him now, Amuro kept an eye for more as they escorted the two males out of there and to a medical sack. Taking deep breaths, Amuro holstered his side arm before following them. As he was walking with them, he saw his mother's eyes and it made his heart drop. They were full of shock and horror. But not at what happened. On what her son had done. Ignoring it for now, he looked at Chan.

"What happened?" Asked Amuro, worried for his friends. Chan just sighed before she explained the whole thing

* * *

 **A few minutes ago**

* * *

"Alright, get the hell away now! Or else the next bullet is going in one of you! Yelled Kai as he watched each of the armed men, knowing if they rushed him, they're disarm him and beat him to death. Fortunately, they seemed to care about their lives and were holding back for now. As Chan tried to aid the two men with what she had, she thought back how this came to be. The four were inspecting all the food and medicine in the supply tent when suddenly Kai spotted six men coming at them with bats and hammers. Upon telling them about it, Scott went up to them, demanding what was going on. The men then accused him of siding with spacenoids and one of them tried to hit Scott with his bat. The man dodged the first swing, but the 2nd hit him square in the head, causing him to crumble and fall to the ground. Just before the others could join in, Hayato threw a can of meat at them and tried to get to Scott. While Kai was brining out his side arm, Chan tried to help Hayato, only to watch as he got hit with a hammer when he tried to tackle on of them. Before they could do anything to either man, Kai fired his gun and forced them all back. With them distracted by Kai, Chan rushed toward the two with a basic med kit and tried to help them. Though she wasn't a medic, she was trained in basic medical training and tried to stabilize their wounds.

"Like hell, we'll do that! We saw you guys with the supplies! You're spies working for those Zeons! Trying to figure out what's valuable and what's not!" Yelled one of the men. Chan, who was busy applying first aid on both the man and Hayato, just glared at them.

"You're completely irrational! This man was in charge of keeping check of your supplies! He was with us the entire time! His presence and relaxed stance should have been enough to tell you that nothing was wrong. And why did you assume we're spacenoids, anyway?"

"Both are obvious, girl! He's obviously working for the Zeons as an undercover spy! How else can the Zeons be so calm when they keep coming over for inspections! As for how we know you're spacenoids! Its obvious with your blue hair and his grayish hair! Only spacenoids have that type of hair color!" Chan just gritted her teeth as she went back to focusing on the wounded, praying that someone will come to diffuse the situation before something drastic happens. As the man got closer, Kai started moving towards Chan and the others. Sweat was dropping down his pores as Kai saw the men surrounding them. Once they completely encircled them, they soon charged at them. Hearing at come at him from behind, Kai turned around and shot him. Unfortunately, the others charged in as well.

" **Damnit!"** Thought Kai as he shot two more. Before he could shoot another, he saw one going for Chan, hammer raised. Gritting his teeth, he tackled him, dropping his gun at the process. As he was holding the man down, the others were making a move on Chan, causing Kai to look back. This, unfortunately, gave the man the chance to get the upper hand. The man soon punched Kai and forced him on the ground. He then started to choke Kai as he grunted in pain. Just as he was about to finish him, the two men heard a gunshot.

* * *

 **Present**

* * *

"And that's when you showed up." Chan said as she carefully laid Hayato on the bed with Kai doing the same with Scott. She then sighed. "Thanks for coming when you did. If you hadn't, we would have been dead." Amuro just nodded firmly at that, not wanting to think about what would have happened to them if he didn't arrive sooner. As a doctor soon came to tend to them, Kamaria decided to speak to her son about his actions.

"Amuro, why did you shoot those men. They all had families here in the camp." Kamaria said. "There was no need to shoot them." Not believing what he was hearing, Amuro looked at his mother in disbelief.

"Mom, didn't you see what happened? Those men were about to kill this man and my friends. I had to do something." Kamaria just shook her head.

"I completely understand that, Amuro. Yes, you needed to save them, but did you have to shoot those men. They had people that are relying on them here. I know one of those men was a mechanic that kept the generators and radios running and another was helping out with making bread for everyone. Now, they can't do their jobs for awhile now that you and your friend shot them. If you just fired into the air, they would have stopped and I would have explained the situation to them. They would have let them go once I explained what was going on to them. I would have even begged them to stop." Though he understood the consequences of his actions and saw the logic in her idea, Amuro wasn't going to let his side of the argument go down without a fight. Plus, he saw a hole in her plan.

"Mom, I completely get what you're saying. I really am. But, if I hadn't acted in time, my friends may have been severely hurt or worse. Besides mom, those men hated my friends just because they're from space. And they attacked them just because of that. I doubt that they're willing to just let them go because you asked them to. And Kai shot three of them before I intervened, I don't think they would have stopped by then." Kamaria just starred at her boy, shocked that he didn't see her reasoning and what he's become. He was far too different from the boy she raised. He was far colder and more ruthless. Not giving a thought to those that he caused suffering to as well as those under their care.

"Your sons got a point, lady." Said Kai, keeping an eye out in case anyone tried anything. "I saw it in their eyes. They weren't going to back down, no matter what. They only backed away when they saw they couldn't do much to us. Bet you, right now, they're gathering their friends and going to try and kill us again. Including your son." Kamaria just looked at Kai in shock, appalled by this pessimistic words, before looking back at Amuro.

"What happened to you, Amuro?" Asked Kamaria. "You used to be sweeter and kinder, but now…you're so cold and callous towards those that you deem your enemies. I…don't recognize you anymore." Upon hearing that, Amuro just looked at his mother with a heartbroken expression, something that hurt Kamaria. Kai and Chan also looked at her in shock, not believing what she just said. It took a few moments before Amuro could speak.

"Are…are you saying that…you don't love me anymore?" Asked Amuro with a heartbroken tone. Kamaria just shook her head at that.

"What kind of mother wouldn't love her son? How could you say that?" Asked Kamaria. She tried to touch Amuro's shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"If you did love me, then you shouldn't have said that!" Yelled Amuro, hurt and pain in his eyes. Something that hurt Kamaria as well. Before the talk could escalate, Amuro received a call from the White Base. Sighing to himself, he took the call with his wrist communicator. "What is it?"

"Amuro, I'm arriving with the Gunperry now." Said Stratton. "Round everyone up and get ready to assault the enemy base." Amuro just looked at Hayato and frowned. He was in no condition to be moved and he didn't trust the people here now.

"I'm afraid we have a problem, Stratton. Hayato suffered an injury from the refuges here and we need someone to stay behind to take care of him."

"What?" Yelled Stratton, shocked. "What happened?"

"It's …complicated. Right now, we need to leave someone behind to take care of Hayato. I'll come alone if I have to."

"I'm afraid not. We need all of you here. Bright thinks that the enemy may have mobile suits in their possession, so he wants the Guncannon on standby in case they do. If Kai is combat ready, then you'll have to take him with you." Amuro just gritted his teeth. While he was confident that Chan had basic firearms training, she was just an engineer cadet and focused more on electronics and computers. Not combat. And with who knows how many refugees that were anti-spacenoids, he wasn't going to leave her alone.

"I don't want to leave her alone here with Hayato, sir. Can you stay behind to guard them?" Stratton, upon hearing that, nodded his head.

"Of course. I was in put of protecting you guys. I failed at protecting Hayato, but I'm going to make amends for that now. Just get back at the White Base as soon as possible. I'm landing soon."

"Understood. We'll be out soon." He then ended the transmission. "Kai, we got to go. Stratton will protect them now."

"* **Scoffs*** Better do a good job at it. He's been lousy since it started." The two were about to leave when Kamaria looked at Amuro.

"Are you going out to a battlefield? To kill enemy soldiers?" Amuro just frowned before nodding.

"It's my duty, mom. I have to do it." Said Amuro. Upon hearing that, Kamaria just shook her head. She couldn't believe the words she heard from her son.

"Just like with those men, you don't care about anyone that you label as an enemy to you or your friends. Don't you care about the families of the soldiers you'll kill soon? Don't you care about them?" Amuro just clenched his fists before speaking.

"Mom. This is war. It's them or us." Amuro said before taking off with Kai, who starred coldly at Kamaria, before following Amuro. As they walked away, Kamaria yelled out to her son.

"You've become so cold…I'm ashamed to call you my son!" Upon hearing that, Amuro stopped for a moment, letting those words sink, before steeling himself and walking away, approaching the Gunperry as it made its descent. Kamaria, who had finished her sentence, felt regret at what she said. She knew what she said was wrong and that it hurt her son. But she couldn't bear the thought of him going out there and killing other human beings, leaving families without fathers, brothers, sons, and siblings. Sighing to herself, she looked to see his blue-haired companion looking at her in disgust, obviously upset with her words to Amuro. She was about to speak to her when the blue-haired girl spoke to the doctor.

"If it isn't too much to ask, can I get another volunteer to help out? This one is making me feel uncomfortable. And probably my friend as well." Chan asked, not bothering to look at Kamaria. Her words stung Kamaria, but she knew the girl was in her right to hate her. She basically disowned her son, her friend, while he was trying to protect her and the others from death. Excusing herself, Kamaria left the girl alone and went to get some water. She felt like she needed it after what happened a few minutes ago.

* * *

 **Thirty minutes later**

 **White Base**

* * *

"Alright. Gundam is ready to go." Amuro said as he was in the pilot seat of the Gundam, waiting to be launched into the enemy base. As the engineers were readying the launch procedures, Vega was noticing that Amuro's emotional state was off by a large degree. Even more so, then when they first fought together back at Side 7.

" **Amuro. Is something the matter?"** Asked Vega, concerned for his pilot. Amuro just tightened his grip on the controls. **"Amuro. It isn't advisable to not speak about your problems, especially if they leave you emotional. You should consult a doctor or speak to a friend. My records tell me that it helps to not bottle your problems up or else they'll…"**

"I'm fine, Vega! I don't need to talk about them!" Yelled Amuro, still sore about his mother's words. The AI was surprised to hear this from him but complied with his wishes. Though he was still angry at Vega's persistent nagging on him, Amuro felt ashamed to speak to the AI like that. He didn't deserve it. He would have apologized, but the docking crew just began the launch procedure. Sighing to himself, Amuro prepared himself as the Gundam was launched at the Zeon base, who was scrambling their fighters. Taking aim at the first fighter group that was beginning to take off, Amuro fired the Vulcans at them, destroying them before they could take off. Knowing that they needed to take the base with minimal destruction to its infrastructure, Amuro just used the Vulcans to attack the main defenses, like the Dopps or the various machinegun towers placed around the base. The other weapons of the Gundam were overkill, anyway. Soon after, Kai joined in with the Guncannon and joined in on the assault. Once the last of the defenses were destroyed, Amuro contacted the White Base.

"It's all clear here. You can signal the Medea to come in." Bright, upon hearing this, ordered a com link be established with the Medea to tell them to proceed. As this was happening, Oscar detected a new two new targets emitting from the base.

"Sir! We got two new contacts! Their size indicates mobile suits!" With that, Bright ordered the Medea to pull back and informed the Gundam and Guncannon of the new threat. The two pilots then got ready for any danger. Soon, they got their danger in the form of two mobile suits emerging from two large warehouses in the base, breaking the roofs in the process. The two pilots were shocked to see them. They were completely different from the Zaku. Well, at least one was.

One of them was a Zaku look-alike, but with a dull grey color scheme. It also has two spiked ball shoulders, rather than the standard one spike shoulder and one shoulder shield. The most drastic difference, however, was the chest design. It features a more outward cockpit design with some orange paint near the cable waist. The armaments were a bit different, it had a traditional shield, like the Gundams, but it had a sword hilt sticking out of it, likely its only weapon.

The other machine, however, was the most drastic of the two, being completely different from the Zaku. Rather than a more human head, it a plus-shaped head and looked more heavily armed and armored than a Zaku. The traditional mono-eye looked at the two Federation mobile suits before glowing and the new Zeon mobile suit grabbed the rocket launcher on its back while its compatriot drew out its sword, which then began to heat up, making Kai and Amuro realize it similar to the heat hawk of a Zaku. The four mobile suits looked at each other for a moment before opening fire.

* * *

 **In case anyone was wondering, the two mobile suits at the end are the MS-07A Gouf while the other is the YMS-09 Prototype Dom.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **RedRat8- He probably will. Unbalanced emotions can be quite a trouble in the battlefield. Leads to mistakes.**

 **Awareness Bringer- Thank you. Yeah, I never agreed her reasons in canon. If the Zeon soldiers spotted Amuro's uniform, they'll either take him away or kill him on the spot, as well as dooming the camp as the Zeons will think its just a Federation cover up for military actions. So, even if he didn't attack, they'll all be screwed either way.**

 **The Killer7- Yeah, eventually, I'll add more plot divergence to the story that'll hopefully stray from canon later on. And no, the pilots are just two grunts sent to test out the Gouf and Dom lines before the mass production versions arrive in the military's hands. Another thing is that the reason they didn't attack sooner is because the pilots were struggling to avoid the mobile suits and to get in their own.**

* * *

 **Refugee camp**

* * *

Chan was busy holding Hayato's hand while the doctor was tending to Scott. Though he would make it, the doctor said he'll be out of it for a couple of days as a result of the severe blow to the head he received. Chan considered it fortunate that Hayato wasn't as badly hurt because they couldn't afford to stay here very long on account of the refugees and their antics.

"Are you feeling better, Hayato?" Asked Chan as she gave him some water. He just nodded as he drank some. Once he finished, he spoke.

"Yeah. My head still hurts a bit, but I'm fine for the most part." He then held his bandaged head, hoping that he won't have a concussion after this. Chan smiled in relief.

"Thank god." She then put the water bottle away. "I was so worried when you got hit in the head." Hayato just smiled, ignoring the slight pain he felt when he did.

"Don't worry. It'll take a lot more than a simple hit to the head to bring me down. Just wish that I was out there with the others." Chan just shook her head at that.

"You wouldn't have been able to pilot a mobile suit with your head injury, Hayato. Trust me. Its best for everyone that you rest here until the White Base can pick us up." Hayato just nodded before looking at the various peoples around them and Stratton. Most have been minding their own business, tending to other wounded, but some had spared a dark glance at them. Hayato knew the reason for it. While he was recovering, Chan explained to him that some anti-spacenoids were the ones that attacked them. Kai and Amuro drove them off before they could do any serious damage to all of them. She also told him that, though the two pilots drove them off, Kai was sure they come back and finish what they started. Which was why Stratton was here. To protect them should they try anything.

"Alright, I guess you're right. Just hope that they're be coming soon. I don't think we can stay here for very long." Chan just nodded, hoping that the White Base will hurry and pick them up before someone tries anything stupid to them.

"Do you need anything else?" Hayato just shook his head. He didn't need anything right now. "Alright. I'll just get some water for myself. I'll be right back." With that, she left to go find some water. Upon a water fountain with some cups near it, she took a cup and began to fill it up with some water. As she did so, she looked to see Amuro's mother coming toward her. Narrowing her eyes upon seeing the woman, Chan left in a hurry, her cup only half full. Upon seeing this, Kamaria looked down on the ground in sadness.

" **Its what you deserve, Kamaria, don't expect anything else."** Thought the woman as she filled a water bottle up for a patient. As the bottle began to fill up, Kamaria thought back to when she last spoke to her son. The more she delved on the subject, the more she felt disgusted for herself and for what she said to her son. Her son, having been caught in this pointless war for independence, needed comfort from his last living parent. And, for a time, she gave it to him, believing him to be that little boy she helped raised during his infancy. But then she said some harmful words to him just because he was saving his friends, through the only way that he had at the time that could have saved them all. When she saw him use a gun at someone, she was shocked beyond belief that her little boy had hurt someone. When she saw him fire, it was if he was a completely different person to her, one that had seen so much during his time in the military as a teenage soldier. He was nothing like the sweet boy she helped raised, who wouldn't even hurt a fly back during his time on Earth.

" **Maybe that's why he's changed. His mother wasn't around to help him be a gentler person."** Kamaria then shook her head when she processed that thought. **"No, that's not it. It's something completely different. Tem was a good man and he would have treated his son with respect. A bit distance than I would like, but he loved him nonetheless. No…it's the war. It's the war that caused him to become this way."** It was then that she knew what truly happened to her son. He was thrust into a war when he was only fifteen years old. An age where he should only be concerned with school grades and finding a girl to hopefully settle down with. It wasn't a time when a person should worry about dying on the battlefield or if he'll be able to see his family again. Nor an age when a person should…kill another who had a family. But her son was in that life now. And, if her last conversation was any indication, he was about to embark on another battlefield where more people will die. Just imagining her son out there killing more people made her sick, but also sad as she knew that he had to choose between either letting a soldier die or let them go, thus risking his friends on whatever ship he was on to die just because he let one solder go. Seeing such a scenario play in her head made her understand her son's motives. She then replayed it with that young boy with black hair, one of his friends, her son, and a Zeon soldier.

The Zeon soldier had a gun aimed at his friend, who was too busy with something to notice, and Amuro had a clear shot at the soldier. He had a choice. Either he let the soldier go, thus letting his friend die and maybe him, or kill his, thus saving his friend and himself from retaliation. Knowing how much he lost at Side 7, Kamaria knew the answer that Amuro would take. He'll kill the soldier he didn't know to save his friend.

" **And why wouldn't he? He lost his home in Side 7 and lost his father there. He witnessed so many neighbors lose their lives to the Zeons and his friends lost their homes to them as well. Why wouldn't he try and save his friend when he had the power to do so?"** Kamaria thought, now beginning to feel more shame with her actions. As she was wallowing in her sorrows, Kamaria overheard two men whispering to each other about the spacenoids in the room. Knowing that only Amuro's friends were the only spacenoids in the shack, she began to listen in, knowing that wasn't anything good, especially with what happened some time ago.

"Those damn spacenoids. They shot Carl and Jenkins. Now Wallace has to work overtime to keep the generators up and running." Said one man to his associate, who nodded in agreement.

"Well, it can't be helped. They did attack them, after all." The 2nd man received a glare when he said that.

"They were trying to stop them from sabotaging the supplies. Didn't you hear that?" The 2nd man tried to defend himself.

"Well, yeah, but Scott was with them. And he's been here since this refugee camp started. I doubt he would have let them anywhere near the supplies if that was their intent. He's been a good judge of character."

"Yeah, but only to people from Earth. Not to spacenoids. They got all weird powers or what not." The 2nd man just rolled his eyes at that, knowing where he got that information from. "They could have brainwashed him or something. Carl must have seen this and so got a bunch of guys to teach them a lesson." Upon hearing that, the 2nd guy just looked at him in shock.

"I don't know man, we should just leave them alone. I hate them spacenoids too, but we need to think about the camp. I help with getting clean water from the lake nearby, man." The first man just sighed.

"Alright, just wanted to let you know. But I'm going to teach them a lesson, alright. Just don't tell anyone that's friendly with them, got it?" The 2nd man just nodded before the two got up and left the shack. Unbeknownst to them, Kamaria had listened to their conversation. Tightening her hold around the water bottle, she tried to calm herself down over what she heard to no avail.

" **Why can't people just let go of their hatred for spacenoids?"** Thought Kamaria. " **Hasn't there been enough violence today?"** Knowing that Amuro's friends are in danger again, Kamaria went over to where they were, knowing that they hated her. But she didn't care. She deserved their disgust and hatred. But that didn't mean she can let them get hurt or killed just because people don't understand what actually happened or rather couldn't let their hatred go. As she approached them, she was suddenly stopped by a man, who stood firmly before her path, preventing her from going anywhere near her son's friends. Given his protection of them, she guessed he was part of the ship Amuro was on, likely there to prevent anyone from trying and hurting the wounded boy.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but my associates would like to avoid any contact with you." Said Stratton as he stood in front of Kamaria. Much as he wanted to have a neutral tone, Stratton let a small amount of disproval he had for the woman slip into his tone. When he heard what happened while he was gone, Stratton had a low opinion of Kamaria. He couldn't believe she would say something so insensitive to her own son just because he was defending his friends. He used violence, sure, but it was the only way to save Chan and Hayato in time before they could receive any serious injuries. Not only that, she basically disowned him when she yelled out to him that she was ashamed to have him as a son. Kamaria just shook her head before looking over the man's shoulders, seeing the neutral looks she got from the two teenagers. They looked neutral, but their eyes showed distaste and rage. Moving past that, Kamaria spoke to them.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, nor do I care about ever getting it, but you need to listen to me." Kamaria said. "I overheard a conversation between two men. They were talking about your incident and one of them was upset over it. He planned to do something to you in order to get revenge for what happened." Upon hearing that, Stratton just sighed.

"Is he planning to bring some of his friends or like-minded people?" Asked Stratton. They really didn't need something like this right now.

"I don't know, but it's likely he'll bring some help." Said Kamaria. "I don't know when, so I recommend you to contact your ship and tell them to pick you up immediately." Stratton just swore before he went away to contact the ship, but not too far away that he can't keep an eye on Chan and Hayato. As he contacted the ship, the two teens just looked at Kamaria with suspicion and mistrust. After a moment of silent staring, Chan spoke up.

"Why are you helping us, miss?" Asked Chan. "If you're trying to make amends with your son, then you should do it with him and not us." Kamaria just sighed.

"I know." Said Kamaria. "But that doesn't mean I'll allow his friends and innocent people be hurt just because others can't let their hatred go." She then adopted a sad expression. "Besides, my little boy doesn't want anything to do with me now. And its all my fault." The two teens just looked at each other, shocked to see that Kamaria was like this. Once a minute passed, Chan went over to Kamaria and spoke to her.

"Why did you say such cruel things to your son, ma'am?" Asked Chan, deciding to give her a 2nd chance as Kamaria seemed to genuinely regret her actions. "Ever since Side 7, he's been wanting to see you and reconnect with you again. To be like a family again. But when you two did meet, you just scolded him for protecting us and disowned him for doing his job. Why?" Kamaria just closed her eyes before taking a seat adjacent to them with Chan sitting down in front of her. Hayato just looked at Kamaria from his bed.

"To be honest, I still saw him as that little boy that I helped raised back on Earth. Back then, he was so full of life and innocents. So curious of the world and all its wonders. He wouldn't have hurt a fly even back then. He would have just looked at it with the innocents of a child and let it fly away." She adopted a small sad smile as she remembered her child from a time before the war, but that soon went away as she remembered the present. "And I guess I still saw him as that innocent boy when we reunited with each other. Just older. So, when he fired his weapon at those men, I didn't see the boy I raised. Just another soldier that kills." She then began to tear up. "And so, I treated him like a stranger. A stranger that kills people that have families and friends back in wherever their home is and has no qualms with leaving orphans or widowers." She let the tears fall. "And you saw the results of that. He hates me and he's probably hurt right now." As the tears fall, Chan and Hayato just looked at each other, not knowing what to say. After a few minutes, Kamaria got control of herself and looked at them. After some hesitance, Chan just took Kamaria's hand and began to squeeze it. She then spoke with a neutral expression.

"Miss Ray, I can't speak for my friend," She tilted her head toward Hayato. "Or Amuro, but I believe you. That doesn't mean I forgive you for what you did yet, but I'm willing to give you a chance to redeem yourself." Hayato nodded, agreeing with Chan. He believed that everyone deserved a shot at redemption, no matter how cruelly they treated others. Kamaria looked shocked at that but just nodded.

"Thank you. I don't know what to say, other then I'll help you both with getting out of here alive and safe." Chan just nodded at that.

"That's all that we require right now." She then let go. "You should go, there are people that need your help." Kamaria just nodded before leaving, feeling somewhat better. Once she was gone, Hayato spoke.

"You think we should ask Amuro to see her again? I mean, from what you told me, they didn't leave on good terms. But, shouldn't we encourage them to speak one last time?" Chan just bit her lip, recalling Amuro's stiff body when Kamaria told him she was ashamed to call him her son. She wasn't an expert on psychology, but she knew that what Kamaria said hurt Amuro more than whatever weapon Zeon can throw at him. She knew that Amuro wouldn't like to her again soon after that, if at all. The wound was just too new for any meaningful meeting to have a good impact on either son or mother.

"I don't know, Hayato. It seems too soon for them to meet each other again. She practically disowned him with what she said." Hayato just nodded.

"I know. But if this lingers on, this might affect Amuro's performance in battle. And we both know we need our pilots to be at their very best if we all want to get out of this alive." He then sighed. "I don't like it, but we should encourage Amuro to see her one last time. To try and resolve this." Chan just looked to the ground, worried if another meeting between them will end badly. Amuro deserved better and didn't need another meeting with his mother that could potentially end with him being even more upset. Sighing to herself, Chan wondered on what to do.

* * *

Meanwhile

 **Zeon base**

* * *

"Wow!" Yelled Kai as the Guncannon dodged a slash from the Zaku lookalike. He retaliated with a shot from the shoulder guns of the Guncannon, only for the thing to dodge and try and attack Kai again with its sword. "Damnit. Amuro, this guy keeps coming after me! Can't you give me yours!" Instead of Amuro answering, Vega responded.

" **Negative. This new mobile suit is far too fast for you deal with."** Said Vega as both Amuro and him were trying to get a lock on the new mobile suit, which was moving too fast for them to do so. " **I'm trying to compensate for his speed right now. We'll try and help after we deal with this one."**

"Damnit." Yelled Kai before firing against at his opponent, careful to not destroy the base as they needed the supplies, which forced the mobile suit to back off and try a new tactic. Upon seeing a truck near it, the mobile suit grabbed it and threw it at the Guncannon. Surprised at this, the Guncannon received a truck to the face, disorienting the main cameras a bit. Upon recovering, Kai saw the mobile suit moving toward him at a much faster speed than a normal Zaku. He tried to fire back, but the mobile suit jumped out of the way and slashed at one of the Guncannon's shoulder cannons, making it useless. Gritting his teeth, Kai opened fire with the Vulcans directly at the main camera. Unfortunately, the mobile suit dodged and slammed his sword into the Guncannon's face as a result. Upon seeing this, Amuro yelled out.

"Kai!" He was about to go help when the other mobile suit, seeing the opportunity, fired a rocket from its bazooka. Vega, upon detecting the incoming rocket, raised the shield. Once the rocket impacted on the shield, however, it destroyed it, making it useless. Tossing the shield away, Amuro, realizing that the other mobile suit needed to be taken out, fired the beam rifle at it, but the mobile suit just moved out of the way and used the last of its ammo to force the Gundam to move out of the way. With the bazooka now out of ammo, the mobile tossed it toward the Gundam, which swatted the weapon away, and pulled out a saber-like weapon. The weapon then heated up, revealing it to be a heat sword. It then charged at the Gundam, using its speed to get close. Amuro tried to fight back with the beam rifle and Vulcans, but the mobile suit managed to dodge both forms of attacks thanks to its speed. Even with Vega helping, the mobile suit got close enough to slash the Gundam's free arm, damaging it. Seeing that they'll lose the arm if they don't do something, Amuro raised one of the Gundam's legs and managed to hit it in the waist. It didn't do much, but it did jar the pilot a bit for Vega to head but the mobile suit that was followed up with a Vulcan barrage, destroying the camera. Shocked that the enemy mobile suit recovered so quickly, the new mobile suit stepped back in shock. Seeing his chance, Amuro raised his beam rifle and aimed at the cockpit and was about to open fire when he remembered his mother's words.

 **"Just like with those men, you don't care about anyone that you label as an enemy to you or your friends. Don't you care about the families of the soldiers you'll kill soon? Don't you care about them?"** His mother's words echoed in his mind. Even though he was trying to ignore his mother's words, he still felt sadness and shame upon hearing those words. It made him hesitant and prevented him from firing the beam rifle. Vega, who should have fired it if the pilot was unable to, was shocked to see that Amuro didn't fire. Before he could take command, the mobile pilot recovered and grabbed his sword again. Pulling it out, he then slashed at the damaged arm again, this time severing it. This caused Vega to use the Gundam's thruster to jump out of the way. Now out of harm's way, Vega spoke to Amuro.

" **Amuro, we lost the Gundam's left arm! What do we do now!?"** Upon hearing that, Amuro shook his head and focused on the mission.

" **Damn. I got to forget about my mom and her words. Its all in the past and I need to fight in order to survive.** " Thought Amuro as he took command of the Gundam again. Now limited in his options, Amuro decided to just use the beam rifle. "Vega, we're going to fire a couple of shots as a diversion of the killing blow. I'll fire four at the mobile suit then you deal the killing blow."

" **Understood. Ready to engage.** " Nodding his head, Amuro aimed the beam rifle at the enemy mobile suit. As he free fall into the ground, he fired three shots at the mobile suit, who dodged two with ease before being nearly hit by the third. When Amuro fired his fourth shot, the mobile suit had to jump into the air to avoid the shot, leaving him open for Vega, who fired the beam rifle again. The fifth shot managed pierce right the mobile suit's chest, causing it to blow up. Debris fell everywhere into the base, causing some damage. Sighing in relief that the plan worked, Amuro piloted the Gundam back into the ground.

"Alright, now we have to focus on saving Kai." As the Gundam was about to land, they were suddenly tackled from behind, causing them to crash-land onto the ground hard. Recovering quickly, Amuro saw that it was the other mobile suit that caused them to crash. Seeing it caused Amuro's heart to stop. Did it manage to kill Kai? Once that thought processed through Amuro's mind, at first, he felt nothing. He was too shocked to respond properly. Kai, the sarcastic, cynical member of the White Base, was dead. Shocked then turned to anger as Amuro yelled out in rage. Completely forgetting his mother's words, Amuro threw the beam rifle away, it was useless at this close range anyway, before punching the mobile suit in the face. Disoriented, but not letting up, the other mobile suit responded with a knee to the Gundam's stomach before grabbing its sword and thrusting it into the Gundam's head, taking out the main camera along with the Vulcan guns. Too enraged to care, Amuro grabbed a beam saber and slash the mobile suit's head off. Not deterred by this, the mobile suit aimed its sword at the Gundam's stomach and was about to impale it when suddenly it jerked. Confused, Amuro watched as the mobile suit suddenly went slack and fell on the Gundam.

"What the." Mumbled Amuro as the adrenaline left his systems. He soon got his answer when the Guncannon came into view, a long pole of metal in its hands, which was stuck on the mobile suit's back. Upon seeing the Guncannon, Amuro sighed in relief, happy that Kai was alright. "You okay Kai?"

"I guess you could say that." Kai said as he pushed the new mobile suit off of the Gundam. Once it was standing up, Amuro saw just how damaged the Guncannon was and grimaced. The Guncannon was missing its right arm, half of its face, and one of its shoulder cannons. What really concerned Amuro though, was the hole near the Guncannon's cockpit, obviously from the mobile suit's sword.

"How was your fight with that mobile suit?" Asked Amuro as Vega radioed White Base that the base is now secure.

"Like hell." Kai then scratched his head. "After that thing took my suit's head off, I tackled it to the ground. We struggled a bit until that thing slammed its sword into the chest. Must have thought I was dead after that because that thing just went after you next." He then sighed. "I was lucky. If that guy aimed his sword a bit lower, I'll be dead right now." Amuro just nodded in agreement as the two watched the White Base and Medea transport landing down.

"We better make this quick, Chan and the others need a pickup soon and I rather not have them stay in that camp any more than they have to." Kai just nodded as the crews of both ships began to scavenge the base for supplies.

"Hope they haven't run into any trouble." Kai whispered as the two piloted their mobile suits into the White Base's hangers.

* * *

Meanwhile

 **Refugee camp**

* * *

Chan was patiently waiting for transport to arrive along with everyone else. Stratton was keeping an eye on every single one of the refugees, not trusting any of them. Hayato, meanwhile, was drinking a glass of water but also helping out Stratton with look out. As she waited, Chan looked at Amuro's mother, who was busy helping out with wounded refugees. She was still conflicted on what to think of the woman. On one hand, she was so cruel towards her son when he was so anxious to see her again as well needing her support. But on the other, she seemed to genuinely regret her actions and wanted to make amends. She was also conflicted on whether to tell Amuro to give his mother on another chance. There was a possibility that, should she do that, Amuro, due to being emotional from his mother's words, will snap at her, thus putting a strain on their friendship. They'll make up in time, they'll have to in order to survive this way, but she rather not has that in the first place. But then again…having them meet again may help resolve Amuro's family issues. It might also help him be at peace somewhat, knowing that his mother didn't hate him at all. Sighing to herself, she pondered on what to do. As she was, however, Stratton gently tapped her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Stratton eyeing a bunch of men. They had small hammers with them. Sighing in irritation, Chan got ready for another confrontation.

" **Why can't these people stop with their hatred towards spacenoids?** " Thought Chan as the men got closer to them. Seeing them get closer, Stratton confronted them. When there was only a couple of inches separating the men, Stratton spoke.

"I hope you folks aren't doing what I'm thinking you're doing." Said Stratton, eyeing their hammers. "Because, if you are, then you should be ashamed of yourselves. Attacking people at a field hospital while innocents are in it." The men just glared at him.

"They'll get over it." Said a man, most likely the ringleader. "We're doing this for them, after all." Stratton just shook his head at that.

"If you truly want to do something for these people, then do something more productive than hurt some teenagers." He waved to Chan and Hayato as he said this. Despite this, the men just glared at him.

"It's because of their kind that they're all in this state." The leader then pointed to a young boy. "He lost his parents to a Zeon missile attack." He then pointed to an old lady. "And she has a bum leg from shrapnel. And I lost my son when a Zaku fired at our house!" The other men grumbled in agreement. "None of that wouldn't have happen if the Zeons have just submitted to Federation authority. Or if the Federation had just surrendered back during the Antarctic negotiations."

"So, you blame both sides for your losses." He then sighed. "Look, you all have the right to be upset, even angry against the Federation and the Principality of Zeon for all the hardships that war was brought you. But that doesn't mean you can all take it out on these two teenagers. They both lost people in the war as well." He pointed to Hayato. "He lost his parents during a Zeon attack at Side 7," He then pointed at Chan. ", and she lost her home at Side 5 when the Zeons completely destroyed the Side. Point is, we all lost something. Both Earthnoids and Spacenoids alike." A few of the men looked at each other, agreeing with Stratton. "And both will continue to lose something until this war is over. So, let's not add more grief and hatred towards people that don't deserve it." Though it looked like a few agreed with the soldier and wanted to stand down, the others weren't so inclined. The leader just shook his head.

"You don't get it. Don't act so high and mighty when you never lost someone close to you or seen a child die right in front of you." The leader then started to shake in anger as he remembered the events that occurred while the Zeon and Federation forces fought in the region. As the man shook, Stratton took a step back and put a hand on his sidearm, seeing the possibility that this could get ugly. Before the man could do something rash, Kamaria stepped in.

"Enough, all of you!" Yelled Kamaria putting herself between the men. Seeing Kamaria before them, the men stood down. Once she was certain that she had their attention, she spoke. "This soldier is right. You're free to hate and dwell on the past actions of others. But you shouldn't take your rage on those that have suffered as much as you, if not more. So please, just leave these people alone. They'll be gone soon anyway." A few men looked hesitant, wondering what to do, when the leader stepped up.

"Listen, ma'am, you didn't suffer as we did, or these people did." He glared at Kamaria, but she stood her ground. "You don't understand their hatred toward Zeons or any other spacenoids for all the suffering they caused them. They're all waiting for a chance to place that hatred and anger away on something and what better way than on the people that caused them all this suffering in the first place." Kamaria just snorted in disgust.

"If that's the way you think, then you're no better than the Zeons, if not worse." Upon hearing that, the man glared in anger at her and was about to strike her when Stratton brought out his gun. It was aimed at anyone, but the message was clear. "You're all hurting, I can see that, but you're placing all that hurt and grief onto innocent people that don't deserve it. Would you be willing to place all that on children, elderly, or even newborns?" The men just looked at each other, suddenly feeling ill about this, but Kamaria didn't stop. "If you can look me into the eye and say that you will, then I won't let say anymore except for one thing. If you bring harm to these children, then you'll have to do the same to me." Upon hearing that, Chan, Hayato, Stratton, the men, and several onlookers looked at her in shock. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "That's right. You heard me. Hurt these children and I'll throw myself into the fray. I don't care if I get hurt or even killed by doing so. In my mind, it'll be recompense for what I did to my little boy." She then glared up at the leader. "So, what's it going to be? Will, you hurt a volunteer of this refugee camp to settle your grudge against spacenoids? Or will you do the responsible thing and leave these people alone?" The man just glared at Kamaria for a good long while, hatred in his eyes. He then took a look at Chan, Hayato, and the other refugees, before sighing in resignation.

"They better be long gone soon or else." With that, the leader backed off and left with his goons. With them gone, Kamaria let out a sigh of relief.

"That was a mighty brave thing you did, ma'am." Said Stratton as he looked at Kamaria. "What caused this, may I ask? From what I hear, you didn't treat your son or his friends with much respect." Kamaria simply chuckled sadly.

"Just trying to make amends. After all, they didn't deserve my earlier actions." With that, she left to go attend other refugees. As she left, Chan looked at her retreating form, now knowing her decision.

* * *

Later

 **White Base**

* * *

"You want me to what?" Asked Amuro as he looked at Chan in disbelief. The girl sighed before speaking.

"I know she hurt you, Amuro, I really do, but you need to speak to her one last time. She genuinely feels regret for her actions and she wants to make amends for it. Give her a chance." Amuro just shook his head.

"No way. Not after what she said." Chan just sighed again.

" **He truly is stubborn."** She thought before speaking. "I know those words hurt you, more than anything the Zeons could do to you, but you may not know it, she's hurting too. She hates herself for what she said, and she knows she permanently put a strain on your relationship. Yet despite knowing that you'll probably not forgive her for what she said, she put herself in potential danger by sticking out for us." Amuro just looked at the ground. When he heard about what happened while he was gone, he was so shocked and angry that the refugees tried to attack them again. It made him want to go back and beat them all up, but he restrained himself. What shocked him, however, was that Chan and Hayato told him that his mother stood up for them, even saying that she won't care if she died to protect them. Despite that, Amuro still wasn't willing to go meet her again. "Don't you think she deserves a little talk with you for that?" Amuro just sighed.

"I…don't know if I can meet her again, Chan. Its just that, I don't feel like I'm ready to see her again." Chan looked at him in sympathy before taking his hand.

"Hey, it's okay. I get it. You're afraid it'll just be another bad meeting. But if you let that fear overcome your desire to meet your mom again, then you'll always have a bad last meeting with her and you'll never reconcile with her. If it'll make you feel better, I can come with you." Amuro just shook his head at that.

"No thanks. That won't be necessary." Amuro then looked beyond her, where his mother was waiting next to a car. Due to the refugee camp being surrounded by forest, they had to drive somewhere where there was enough flat surface for the White Base to land. Upon seeing his mother's figure, Amuro went into thought. He truly wanted to meet her again, he really did, but he couldn't get himself to do it. Why? Because he was afraid that it'll just end in another argument that'll end with her saying more cruel words to him and he rather not have another session like that. But on the other, he wanted a better last meeting with her, even if it'll end on a sour note, and he wanted to thank her for standing up to his friends. As he added more reasons to both sides, Chan squeezed his hand.

"If you want any advice, I'm here for you as well as Vega and the rest of the crew." Amuro nodded at that, knowing that she was right. The problem was that they needed to leave soon and Bright wouldn't like it if Amuro went around asking people what he should do with his mother. Deciding to make it quick, he looked at Chan.

"Tell me, what should I do? What's your opinion on the matter and what would you do if you're in my position?" She just sighed before putting some thought into it. After a few minutes, she gave him her answer.

"If my mother said such cruel things to me, I would probably bury myself in work and be as far away from her as possible. And if she wanted to make amends with me, I would give her the chance to do so. I mean, after all, she is my mother and it feels wrong to hate her for something that can be amended, right?" Amuro just nodded. "I wouldn't try and ignore her for long, anyway. No matter how much I refuse to admit it, those cruel words would come to haunt me. I mean, here this woman that gave birth to me and raised me for most of my life and she just said some cruel words that shatter my opinion of her. Yet, despite having the right to hate her, I feel awful and want to make her proud. Maybe its some human instinct, but if I saw a chance to reconcile with her, I'll take it. Because I know that those words will come to haunt me for the rest of my life. I feel like it's the same situation for you. If you don't attempt to make amends with her, it'll haunt you for the rest of your life." Amuro just stared at Chan as he processed these words. Once they did, he nodded his head.

"Thanks for the advice Chan, I appreciate it." With that, he hugged her and went off to go meet his mother. As she watched his retreating form, she didn't notice Bright coming up to her.

"Is everything alright with him?" Asked Bright, looking at Amuro going to his mother.

"He just needs some time with his mother, sir. He'll be fine, I assure you." Bright just nodded, hoping that she was right. As he approached his mother, Amuro felt a sense of dread building up inside him. He tried his best to ignore it, but it kept building as he approached her. It reached its peak when the two were face-to-face. The silence between the two was almost unbearable, but Amuro kept his cool and stoically looked at his mother. After a few moments passed, Kamaria sighed before bringing out his old wooden doll. Amuro, surprised to see it, grabbed it from Kamaria with care. As he inspected the doll, his mother spoke.

"You left this behind when you went into battle. I thought that you may want it back as it was yours, after all." Amuro nodded as he held the doll. After putting it in his pocket, he looked at his mother.

"I heard what you did for my friends, mom. I appreciate it." She just nodded at that.

"It's the least I can do for them. They didn't deserve any of the treatment those men gave them. They're suffering too much already." The two looked at each other in the eye for several moments before Kamaria spoke again. "Amuro, I know I hurt you so much when I said those awful words to you. I don't deserve your forgiveness, nor will I ask for it. All I can do now is to accept that you've moved on from your family and that you're a grown man now." Amuro just stayed silent as he watched his mother say these words, knowing what she was saying was genuine. As he realized that his mother truly regretted her words, the sense of dread left him and was replaced with relief…and a sense of calm that Amuro couldn't describe. Whatever it was, he felt at peace that his mother didn't truly hate him. Wanting to say something to his mother to end this on a positive note, Amuro spoke to her.

"Mom, while I'm still angry with what you said," Kamaria just nodded her head, understanding his pain. "I still want you in my life. But that won't be possible right now. I have a duty to this ship." He looked at the White Base. "And it's crew. They need me to help survive. But maybe after this war is over, I'll come visit." Kamaria, though shocked to hear that, just let out a small smile.

"That'll be nice Amuro. But don't come back from this war for me. Do it for your friends. They'll be devastated if you died in this war."

"We can agree on that." Amuro said. "Alright, I promise to come back from this war alive and to see you again. I want to…start over mom. To forget what happened a few hours ago." His mother just nodded her head at that, agreeing with him.

"I would too." She then saw a young man approaching them, likely his superior. When he stood side by side with Amuro, he addressed them both.

"You must be his mother, right?" Kamaria just nodded. "I'm lieutenant Bright Noa, I'm your son's superior officer. While I don't know the full story of what happened between you two, I would like to say that you should be proud of your son. He saved many lives with his actions. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him. To repay him, I'll make sure that he'll come back from this war alive. I promise you that."

"See that you do, please." Bright just nodded before looking at Amuro.

"We need to leave soon. Say your goodbyes and make it memorable." Amuro just nodded. When Bright left, he addressed his mother.

"This is goodbye mother. I promise to come back alive and to see you again." Kamaria just nodded in acknowledgment. He then saluted her and left. As he walked away, Kamaria yelled out.

"Good luck, Amuro. Remember to give it your all when you're out there." Amuro turned around and nodded his head before taking off. A few minutes later, the White Base began to take off. As it did, Kamaria looked at the ship with tears. Despite being relieved that there may be a chance to reconcile with her son, she knew the chances of him surviving the war was slim. At least, surviving as the man he is now.

* * *

Later

 **The Bridge**

* * *

"Alright, Mirai set a course for Odessa. That's where the Federation wants us to go." Mirai just nodded as she plotted a course for Odessa. As the ship made its trek to Odessa, Bright recalled what happened after the battle at the Zeon base.

Apparently, Matilda had came along with supplies meant for the White Base. Her original plan was to just meet up with the White Base for a resupply run, but after she learned about the Zeon base, she decided to do a raid, both to relieve local Federation forces and to get supplies for said forces. Now, though, she was transporting the surviving Zeon mobile suit to Jaburo and whatever supplies survived the battle to a local Federation base. The new mobile suits were a cause of alarm and she had to take the surviving unit for analyst. Once the resupply was done, she left, but not before telling them their new orders.

She told Bright, who was promoted to Lieutenant Junior as a result of his actions against the Zeon forces, that the White Base was to head to Odessa to meet up with Revil and his forces for a planned attack on the mining facilities there. She also told him about a theory surrounding newtype, something he already knew. The question he had, though, was why she told him.

" **Is the theory actually true? Could spacenoids evolve to the point that they're physics?"** Thought Bright as he pondered on the matter. " **If that's the case, are the Zeons weaponizing these Newtypes?"**

* * *

 **A few days later**

 **The Moon**

 **Granada Base**

* * *

"Are you sure?" Asked Kycilia Zabi, commander of Zeon's mobile suit forces, as she read a report from the forces on Odessa. "The Federation is mobilizing against our mining operations on Odessa?"

"Yes, ma'am. Multiple divisions and battalions are moving towards Odessa. It more than likely they'll attempt to seize it." She just scoffed at that.

"Of course, they'll attempt it, you fool. Odessa is the only thing worth a damn in the region." She then looked at the man who delivered her the message. "Send additional forces to reinforce Odessa, we can't allow the mining operations there to fall." The man just nodded before saluting and leaving. Once he was gone, Kycilia activated her intercom. "Send him in." With that, she waited until the man she wanted to see was here. "Char, welcome to Granada. I hope your visit is comfortable." The Red Comet just looked at her.

"Its been tolerable." Said Char, wondering why he was here, though he had a guess to what it was. "I'm wondering, though, on why you contacted me. I've been suspended from military service by Dozle for my failure to protect Garma."

"I know." Said Kycilia. "And it's a shame too. You're one of our best pilots. Dozle was a fool to relieve you just because you failed to protect Garma. After all, you tried your best, didn't you?" Char just nodded. "Good, I'll cut to the chase, Char. I'm reinstating you back into the military, under my command." Char just looked at her in surprise.

"Dozle wouldn't mind this, ma'am? He'll be furious to hear that I'm back in the service." Kycilia just smirked at that.

"He'll get over it, especially when he figures out that we need as many pilots as we can get, especially with what the Federation is creating." She then brought out a file. "As you know, the Federation has already developed their mobile suits and have made strides in the research of artificial intelligence. And you know, first hand how deadly both were in the battlefield." Char just nodded, recalling his fights with the enemy mobile suits, especially the white one. He wouldn't deny that his pride was hurt because of that mobile suit and he would like another chance to fight it again and defeat it. 'But what you don't know, is that the Federation is already making strides in mass producing both." She then gave him the file. While he read it, she continued. "My informants within the Federation military has told me much about the Federation's plans. They're planning on mass production of both a new mobile suit line and a new AI combat system, similar to the drones of the twenty-first century, but more independent thinking." Char just grimaced as he thought of a fully mechanized force of automated mobile suits. The thought terrified him as, with the power of the Federation manufacturing capabilities, the Federation could just steamroll them with sheer numbers and not care about a PR nightmare.

"So, what's our plan for that?" Asked Char as he gave the file back to Kycilia. She just smirked when he asked that question.

"To defeat the Federation, we need our own ace in the hole. Something that the late Zeon Zum Deikun came up with." Char just looked at her, now understanding what she's saying.

"You want to weaponize Newtypes? To make some army of super soldiers."

"In a sense," Kycilia said. "I won't lie, Char, we can't win against the Federation in the stand-up brawl, especially if these plans of theirs comes to fruition. We need something that'll shift the tide to our favor and I believe that the Newtype is the key."

"But, ma'am, there hasn't been a confirmed Newtype since mankind went into the stars. I'm afraid that it was a simple myth." Kycilia just smirked again.

"That's where your wrong, Char. In fact," She then brought out another file. "Your one yourself." Shocked to hear that, he couldn't respond when Kycilia showed him a report from the Flanagan Institute. A report that showed that he had Newtype potential along with several others. "Not only have you've been monitored, but your protégé was as well." Upon hearing that, Char tensed up, knowing who she was referring too.

"So Lalah is a Newtype as well?" Kycilia just nodded.

"The most likely candidate to be a Newtype, yes." Kycilia then lowered her face mask. "The Flanagan Institute believes that her abilities can be used for a powerful new kind of weapon. One that can give us an edge over the Federation. So, I approved of them using her as a test subject for some experiments." Upon hearing that, Char tensed up and clenched his fists. Lalah being used as a test subject? If they're going to hurt her, he'll…

"Not to worry, Char, I've given strict orders that she isn't to be harmed." Said Kycilia upon seeing him tense up. "It wouldn't do if she got hurt or even killed from those experiments, I assure you." Upon hearing that, Char relaxed a bit but was still angry with the idea that Lalah was being used as a lab rat. "I see you care deeply for her, Char. Care to explain why?" Char just gave her a poker face and spoke.

"Quite simply, she's my protégé. And as her teacher, it's my duty to keep her safe." Kycilia just nodded in understanding.

"Admirable and understandable. Rest assured, Char, if she was hurt in any way shape or form, I'll personally order the deaths of whoever hurt her." She then sighed. "We're getting off track. The reason I called you here is simple. Char, I want you to go to the Flanagan Institute and go for Newtype testing. If your truly a Newtype, then its best for you to awaken your abilities as soon as possible. Before the Federation turns the tide of the war." Char just starred at Kycilia. Just as he hated to admit it, she was right. If the Federation won, he won't get a chance to kill the Zabi family and his father's dream of independent spacenoids will be gone. And a new age of Federation tyranny will be born, but this time with a mechanical army. Sighing to himself, he knew what he had to do.

"Will I see Lalah during this?" Kycilia just nodded.

"Of course. I think its best for you to see each other. After all, it may calm both of you down." Char just nodded in agreement, relieved and happy he gets to see Lalah again. Its been a while since he'd seen her and he'd like to get another chance to see her before the war ends.

"So, after these tests, will I be reinstated in the military?"

"Yes," Kycilia said with a nod. "You'll have your same rank and I'll assign you to somewhere your most needed."

"Alright, I understand. Is that all?" Kycilia nodded and told him to leave. As he was leaving, Char let out a smirk.

" **Looks like I get another chance to get my vengeance against the Zabis."** Thought Char. **"Good thing too, I was starting to think I won't get another chance to do so.** " With that, he let Granada a relatively satisfied man. As his shuttle left the moon base, he thought about the white mobile suit and its pilot. **"Looks like we'll be meeting again, whoever you are. I hope the next time we meet, your skills as a pilot have improved, otherwise, it won't be satisfying to finally beat you."**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

* * *

 **Jaburo base**

* * *

"The 2nd batch of the GMs have been sent off to both space and various counter offensives across the planet, sir." Said a woman with light blue hair and eyes. Revil nodded as he read a report on the initial successes of the GMs. Though they suffered some problems when up against Zeon mobile suits, many believe this was due to the pilots not being used to the controls of mobile suits and that kill ratios will improve once time passes. Still, it was better than what Revil had initially hoped for when the GM line was introduced. With only minimal data from the Gundam, they had to do some guesswork in order to make an effective mobile suit while also making it cheaper. Much as the Gundam was a powerful weapon, it was just too costly to mass produce. Lowering the report, Revil looked at the woman.

"And how are the units with AIs in them? As well as the battlegroups with them." The woman just turned a page on her clipboard and spoke.

"Well, actually better than we hoped. Maintenance times for mobile suits have gone down and our pilots have a higher kill ratio than those without one. Mobile suit teams have also reported that they're liking their new members, though a few find it unnerving to have AIs in war machines." Revil just nodded, not expecting everyone to like this new approach to making warfare. Despite drones and the like being used in the militaries of old, they were never self-aware. They were really pushing the limits of what mankind should do, but desperate times call for desperate measures. They needed more machines and troops out there and this was the best option they had.

"Good. Moving on, how are the preparations for taking Odessa?"

"Ahead of schedule, sir. By the end of the month of October, we'll be able to send 30 percent of the army to Odessa as well as additional mobile suits." Revil nodded in satisfaction. That should be enough to take Odessa. With all his other questions up, he decided to speak of the other project. The one concerning the White Base.

"And what of the other project? Will Matilda be able to deliver it in time for Odessa?" The woman pursed her lips before replying.

"The project is going well, sir, but they're having trouble with the unit. The amount of energy it utilizes is far more than what the original RX-78 can output. They're trying to make a more powerful generator for it, but it's taking some time. Best estimates are that'll be ready by the beginning of November." Revil just nodded his head.

"Very well. That'll be all, miss Agi." With that, he got up from his desk and began to walk toward the door. "I'll be taking a stroll in the base. Have my coffee ready at around thirty minutes." The woman just saluted as Revil took off. When he did, she sighed.

" **Oh, Chan. I hope you're doing alright."** Thought the woman as she thought of her daughter. This woman was Chan Agi's mother, Selina Agi. Like her daughter, she had blue hair and eyes, but unlike her daughter, hers' were lighter in color, like the sky.

Ever since they lost their original home in Side 5, Selina was constantly looking out for her family, making sure they were safe. Fortunately, she and her husband were able to cash in a few favors and were able to land them all in Jaburo, where they should be safe for a while. Her husband was part of the engineering corps, responsible for maintaining the base's more mundane systems, like water purifiers or the power generators. It was a thankless task, but someone had to do it and her husband was more than willing to do so. She was, thankfully, the secretary for general Revil, one of the kinder and one of the few non-corrupt officials in the Federation. After hearing her plight and seeing her resume, Revil, needing a new secretary anyway, put her under his employee and the two had a good working relationship ever since. Looking outward on the base, the woman wondered if she'll see her daughter again. She was still in danger in contested territories and she had no doubt that many Zeons will be eager to take down the ship that killed Garma Zabi. Just imagining all those Zeons going after the ship, and by extension, her daughter made her anxious.

Much as she tried to convince her to stay in Jaburo, Chan went to the Luna II base when she was able to as a cadet, believing it was a better post for her as she was more comfortable in space. She also wanted to see if she can rely on herself and it was the best post for her that wasn't on a ship as well keeping her mother from worrying about her. To her dismay, her father allowed her to go, saying it was time for her to make her own decisions. Seeing she had no choice but to allow it, she kissed her goodbye and made her promise to be safe. Now, though, she was regretting allowing her to go as she was constantly worried about her and was frustrated with the lack of support from the Federation. Revil was also frustrated with it, but because supplies were scarce and needed everywhere on Federation frontlines, he could only send a supply run every now and then. Sighing to herself, she prayed her daughter can come out of this alive.

* * *

 **Revil POV**

* * *

General Revil was walking down the streets of Jaburo base, having parked his car nearby. With nothing on his plate right now, Revil decided to take a fine walk of Jaburo to see how the base was. It gave him a sense of calmness and relaxation that he solemnly needed during these trying times. As he walked, he passed by a few kids playing around in a public area. Though Jaburo was foremost the Federation's main military headquarter on Earth, it wasn't wrong to call it a megacity as it had its own space docks, productions facilities, recreation areas, and research facilities along with areas dedicated to making food and drinkable water. Revil had no idea why it was made this way, though he figured the politicians had something to do with it. Because of this, a great deal of Federation personal made this place their unofficial home and brought their families here as a way to be close to them while they worked. Fortunately, Jaburo had recreation areas for these families and placed them far away from both the entrances and the more restricted areas of Jaburo. Ironically, aside from Side 3, 6, or even Luna II, this was probably the safest place for any civilian to be as the Zeon's are still scratching their heads on how to breach Jaburo's mighty defenses.

As he watched the children play, he noticed a Federation official nearby, watching them. His heart sank upon recognizing the woman. She was apart of the division responsible for watching over war orphans. Seeing her with the children, made him realize that these children were orphans. It wasn't a secret that many orphans were in Jaburo, their parents having died in their service for the Federation. As a result, those children that were in Jaburo were placed under the care of a small volunteer group of soldiers and officers that tried their best to take care of them and find them, good families. To the sadness of many in the group, not many were able to find such families and the number of orphans continued to grow as more soldiers died in this miserable war. Wanting to avoid any reminders of the war, Revil left quickly, hoping that they haven't noticed him.

" **This war is costing too much for humanity. It needs to end."** Thought Revil as he walked. " **All because Side 3 wanted independence and the Federation didn't want to give them that."** Just because Revil was apart of the Federation military, doesn't mean he liked its politics. Far from it, he hated the corrupt officers in the military and he hated the bureaucrats and politicians that used the military for their own selfish gains. He had to fight tooth and nail to get into his position as general of the armed forces while others did so form having the right connections or being born in a powerful family in the Federation. With all the worms and snakes in the military, fighting each other for money or the like, there were times that Revil considered defecting to Zeon or just retiring. If it weren't for the Zabis in charge, Revil may have just let the Federation lose the war. It, quite frankly, deserved a loss in its career. There was simply too much corruption and bias to the wealthy and less attention to those suffering on both Earth and the colonies. Zeon was, much as people try to deny it, right to want independence. The Federation was, to put it mildly, ruling with an iron grip on the colonies, placing far too much firepower, such as tanks and rocket launchers, for the garrisons on the colonies as well as treating the colonists poorly.

Yet, despite all that, whenever he had those thoughts, he usually remembered all the good people in the Federation that look up to him, along with a few other things that kept him in the military. Many see him as a beacon for all the good that the Federation can do if the right people were in charge. He, along with admiral Kowen and Tianem, were considered by many to be the only Federation officers that weren't corrupt in any way as well as having the rank of general or admiral. The rest were, at best, in the rank of captain with only a few exceptions

Kowen, to the surprise of many, was from the colonies and had a tough time in the academy because of this, often held back by earth-born supremacists. Yet despite those fools, no one can deny his test scores and natural leadership skills and he slowly became an admiral, with some help from Revil of course. Because of the treatment, he endured during his time in the military, Kowen was more sympathetic towards those with similar treatment and strived to be someone that many can look up to. A person that shows that no matter what a person can endure, anyone can be something if they put the effort into it and never give up. He spent most of his free time, trying to bridge the gap between spacenoids and earthnoids, something that Revil respected.

Tianem, on the other hand, was born into a life of luxury. Having been born in a family with some ties to Anaheim, he was on his way to being an inheritor for a large fortune. To the surprise of many, however, Tianem joined the military instead, using his connections in Anaheim to enroll in the most prestigious academies. Though many wonder why he didn't use them to quickly climb the ranks, Revil knew why. He saw it in Tianem's eyes. Due to his status, he got whatever he wanted when he asked for it. He didn't feel like he earned it through his own efforts. He felt empty and felt like he didn't accomplish anything that can he proud of. So, deciding to do something about it, he enrolled in the military academy and went through the ranks the hard way. When he became an admiral, Tianem smiled a smile that Revil wouldn't forget. It was a smile full of pride. A pride that can only be given when someone did something, they're actually proud of accomplishing. Though Tianem held some earth supremacist views, something that annoyed and angered Kowen, he often pushed them aside whenever they weren't necessary, which is happens a lot whenever he inspects the merits of a soldier he wanted in his fleet.

Revil, however, was a bit different. Though he was born on Earth like Tianem and held the tenderness of Kowen, he wasn't always like that. In fact, during his younger years, Revil held disdain toward spacenoids. He believed the stories that were told when he was a child, that they were inferior to those from Earth and that the reason they left Earth was that they couldn't deal with the hardships when it came to living on Earth. When he joined a military academy, he often helped bully spacenoids, which often was left alone by the instructors, who either didn't care or approved of such actions. He didn't know why, his grades were good and the top of the class and he had good relations with his family, two of the prime suspects for the reason people bully. Perhaps it was just to feel that he was superior to spacenoids or that he wanted the feeling that it gave him. The feeling that he was special or something. As time went on, however, Revil became more and more empty whenever he bullied spacenoids. Whenever he called them names, he felt nothing. Nothing at all. It confused him and he went to a consular for this. When he told the man about the bullying and how he didn't feel anything, the man simply said he was becoming a better man and to put himself in the shoes of the spacenoids. When he did, however, Revil realized something. Something that horrified him.

He was causing suffering to those that don't deserve it. Later on, he learned that the people he was bullying were people that were gifted students with better scores than most earthnoid students in the academy. Out of jealousy, many bullies them for this. Horrified and shocked at this realization, Revil stopped and focused on his own work. But as time went on and he witnessed more of this racism, he couldn't take it anymore. One day, he just stepped up and interrupted a bullying session, telling everyone to stop. He told everyone that this was a waste of time and energy, that they all should focus on just graduating from the academy. Not to bully someone because they have better scores than them. Needless to say, his little announcement angered some people and he got a punch to the face as a result. He got a black eye that day, but he felt a sense of pride for what he did. It was then on, that he vowed to never judge someone for being a spacenoids. Rather on their skills and personality. His more open-minded approach caught the attention of many, some more kinder than other, but it made him infamous. Later on, when he graduated, he was placed on a garrison on Side 4. It was during that time, that Revil realized how bad the corruption in the Federation, as well as the divide between earthnoids and spacenoids, was.

People were arrested on the whim of those with connections in the military. Criminal gangs were ignored for exchange for bribes. Innocent people were arrested for crimes they didn't commit. And sometimes people were killed just for being spacenoids or earthnoids. It was all these things that made Revil question the Federation and made him stride to try and change it. During his time there, he would eventually find the love of his wife. A lovely woman by the name of Amanda Clark. First meeting her in a riot suppression, he saved her and her mother from a Molotov went off near them. Since then, he'd been assigned to her district in the colony he was stationed on. The two would talk with each other during his shift or when he was off duty, usually speaking about the state of the Federation and how it could be improved on. But later on, they began to speak more about each other and joke with each other. Eventually, Revil would ask her on a date and she complied. Thus, they began to start a relationship together. As time went on and things went steady between them, Revil suffered some backlash from some officers, who were disgusted with his relationship with a spacenoid. Revil, however, didn't care. He loved Amanda too much to let his career in the military to get in the way. Eventually, he garnered the courage to finally ask her to marry him, which she did so with glee. They had a happy marriage and had two kids, two sons. When he married her and had his sons, Revil was the happiest he was. It was like the whole world revolved around just him and his new family. But alas, good things must come to an end.

During the celebration of their seventh anniversary, Amelia asked him what he would if he was an admiral or general in the Federation. Perhaps it was the wine he drank, but Revil told her it was to change the Federation and turn it into a just government, where things like being a spacenoid or earthnoid wouldn't matter anymore. She was happy at his answer and made him promise to do so, which he made to her. Something that he regretted doing so as, when he did become general of the Federation, she became angry with how he wasn't doing anything to stop all the racism going on in the Federation. This bottled up until, one day, they had a fight over something he did. It was over a vote over whether to beef up security over the colonies as criminal groups were becoming more and more organized. Though Revil distasted bringing in more military equipment and troops to the colonies, he saw no other choice. The criminal groups were becoming more organized and powerful, to the point they're attacking the garrison at their main bases. One, in particular, the Talons, have grown to the point they've left the colony they were based in and have attacked various civilian cargo ships. Though they've been eradicated shortly after that, it raised the concern of more criminal groups becoming this powerful. Not wanting to have more criminal groups from going to that level again, Revil gave his vote in favor of increasing the garrison power. Only Kowen voted against it and that was only because the colonies will think poorly of such a such a buildup. Needless to say, his wife wasn't happy to hear this. He tried to explain himself, saying that it was necessary to defend the colonies, but his wife wouldn't listen to reason. They kept arguing and arguing until she called him a liar. That he didn't keep his promise to her and that he didn't intend to. Flabbergasted and hurt at that, Revil tried to say that he intended to do so and that he needs time to do so, but she was having none of it. Seeing that she wasn't going to listen to reason, Revil decided to let her cool off. They didn't speak to each other for three days and slept in different rooms. On the fourth day, while he was at work, he received a phone call from the police. His wife, while on her way to meet him, was suddenly in a firefight between a terrorist group and a Federation military squad with a tank. The troops tried to stop the car, but the tank fired at it, believing it to be with the terrorist.

When he heard that news, Revil was devastated. He took a few weeks off to arrange his wife's funeral and to take care of his kids as well as attending a few grief counseling sessions. During the fourth day of his wife's death, his mother-in-law gave him a letter from his wife. It told him that she was sorry for what happened and that she hoped for him to forgive her. It also contained a please for him to stay in the military. To try and fight the corruption in the Federation. To make it what it was supposed to be. Choosing to honor her wishes, Revil choose to stay in the military and try and fight its corruption. Though so far, he's been unsuccessful, he's determined to see it succeed.

Though with the war on, he had to stop his personal campaign in order to focus on winning the war. Or else it'll all be for naught. And he won't let it all be for naught, he spent too much time for it all to go to waste.

Sighing in exhaustion, he wondered how his sons were doing. He knew they had kids now and that they're still alive as they're in Side 6. He'd hope to make contact with them after this war is over, to have a semblance of a family again. He'd knew both of them would like that. They always loved him and were there for him when their mother died, providing him comfort and vice versa. They'd kept in contact for the most part, but that had to end when the war broke out, and Revil hasn't been able to contact them since. Making it a priority to see them after the war, Revil looked at his watch and saw that his time was almost up. Straightening his collar, he was about to make the trip back to his car when he heard a voice call out to him.

"General Revil! We must discuss about Operation Odessa!" Yelled a federation general as he approached him. Turning around, Revil recognized the man as general Elron, one of the many corrupt officials in the Federation military as well as one of the generals assigned to Operation Odessa.

"What is it that you wish to discuss, general? The operation is already planned and ready to commence at the planned date. Troops are already making ground towards Odessa as we speak." Elron just shook his head before speaking.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. But what I wanted to say is that this will be a tactical blunder, no matter how you look at it." Revil just rose an eyebrow at that.

"And why is that? Odessa is the Zeon's primary way of gaining raw material for the war effort. If we take it, not only do we gain the precious materials there, we'll also force them to mine from asteroids only and you know how dangerous that is still." Elron just put his hands behind his back.

"Yes, on paper this operation is critical. But I believe it isn't. That it wouldn't do a bloody thing to end this war. For all, we know, the Zeons have already mined all the resources there and are simply waiting for us to attack them. Even if we win, we'll suffer mass casualties and get nothing out of it if they did mine all the resources there. It'll be a disaster and a massive loss of morale, something we can't afford to lose, general. That's why I recommend we cancel Operation Odessa before its too late." Revil just starred at Elron, not saying a word. Though he kept a calm expression, Revil was feeling a bit of annoyance at Elron. Did he not know of the potential of winning Odessa can be? The big boost of morale it'll be if they win and, even if the resources were all mined, it'll show the younger soldiers that they can win this war. The casualties will be high, yes, but Revil had several aces up his sleeves to minimize them.

"We won't cancel the operation, Elron. There's simply too much at stake in that operation for it to be canceled." Elron looked surprised at his refusal before recomposing himself.

"Please reconsider, sir. Think of all the young lives you'll send to their deaths if this operation goes. Will you be able to handle all those deaths on your hands?" Revil just looked at Elron with a cold stare, rage building in him.

"I've lost nearly my entire fleet at the battle of Loum, Elron. I've sent my condolences letters to the families of those men that died in my fleet. I've done the same for those that have died rescuing me from Zeon. And I've done it again for those that have died during the Zeon's attack on Earth. And I plan to do the same for those that die in this operation, Elron."

"You didn't answer my question, general, are you able to handle all that spilled blood because you didn't cancel the operation?" Revil just starred at Elron, wondering why he was asking these questions, before nodding his head.

"Yes. That's the sad reality of being a high-ranking officer in a military. You send a lot of people to their deaths in war. And I've done it plenty of times. All I can do is to minimize casualties as best I can and hope for a quick end to this war." With that, he began to leave. "You better be prepared to move out Elron. We'll be going out for Odessa in a few weeks." Elron sighed before saying he will. With that, Revil walked away for his car.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Revil's office**

* * *

"Sorry, I'm late, miss Agi." Said Revil as he sat down, his coffee waiting for him. "My walk took longer than I like."

"There's no need to apologize, sir." Said Selina as she watched him take a sip. "Is there anything you require?"

"Yes, if you can, send me a report on previous estimates of the mineral resources in Odessa. Both pre-war and current ones." Selina just blinked at the request.

"Why, may I ask, sir?" Revil just closed his eyes.

"Something that I want to confirm." Still confused on why he would want such a thing, she complied and said she'll have it ready at the end of the week. With that, she left his office, leaving him to ponder on what to focus on now.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

RedRat8- Yeah, the GM should start popping up soon along with its many variants. I'm thinking the GM ground type would be the first to appear. And if a GM would be sent, it'll probably be a sniper variant as, aside from the Guntank, they don't have any dedicated long range specalist. Along with some standard GMs to help out, of course. As for Revil, he's just concerned over Elron.

Thekiller7- Well prototypes are generally more dangerous than the mass-produced variants, given they don't have to worry about worry about being mass produced and can be expensive as a government wants them to be, I can see the protoypes being served as a testament to how dangerous the Gouf and Dom mass produced models can be dangerous if given the right pilots. And yeah, Revil dying is probably one of the saddest things to happen to the Federation. They lost both a talented tactician and a good man as well. If he didn't die, he would have supported the AEUG or even try to reform the Federation, in my opinion.

* * *

"Oh, come on." Complained Kai as he watched the engineers work on the Guncannon. "How hard can it be to repair a mobile suit's head?" Al just looked at Kai.

"It's hard when the mobile suit's vulcan rounds exploded inside the head, causing massive internal damage. We're lucky that we salvage anything from it at all. You're lucky we have a spare head or else your fighting without one!" Waving his hand nonchalantly, Kai just continued.

"Whatever, just tell me how when its fully combat ready." Al just shook his head, mumbling about teenagers, before speaking.

"We'll have the head ready tomorrow. We're focusing, right now, on the arm and chest areas. You can still fight, but you won't have the Vulcans or the main camera."

"Then I guess I'll fight without them when the Zeons attack us again before the head is back on." With that Kai left the hanger bay. Chan just shook her head at Kai's antics. Once off the battlefield, the guy will go back to being a sarcastic jerk, albeit one that will save your butt once the fighting starts. Going back to fixing the Gundam's arm, she spoke to Amuro and Vega.

"Is the arm functioning to your liking, you two?" In response, Vega just gave her a thumbs up with the now fixed Gundam arm. Amuro, having finished making some adjustments to the other systems, looked at her from the cockpit.

"Its as good as new. Though we'll need to keep an eye on it, in case something goes wrong with it." Chan nodded in agreement at that.

"Alright, that should be enough for you Amuro. I'll take care of the rest with Vega. Why don't you go back to your room to rest up. We need you at one hundred percent efficiency when a battle comes." Amuro just nodded his head at that.

"Alright. I'll be back after a few hours. Once I'm back, we'll do some more testing with the fixed arm." With that, he left for his room. When he was gone, Chan went back to work.

"You seem to care about Amuro a great deal, Chan." Said Vega. "A far cry from what happened back at Luna II."

"Well, things change over time." Said Chan as she diagnosed the Gundam's systems. "At first, he suspected me of being for working with Zeon and now we're good friends. Its amazing how people can change their relationship with someone when given enough time." Vega couldn't help but agree. However, he was curious over something else though.

"Yes, but given your recent meetings with Amuro, I calculate that your relations go beyond mere friends." Blushing a bit at that, Chan looked at the Gundam's head in annoyance.

"We're not a couple, Vega." Chan said. Why do people keep thinking that they were?

"Apologies. I was merely stating what I believe is happening between you two. That doesn't mean that it'll come to pass. Its entirely possible you two will just be very close friend that'll be there for each other when you two need it. Again I apologize." Chan just sighed at that.

"Its okay, Vega. Its just that we're friends right now. Nothing more. Besides, Amuro has people from Side 7, like Sayla and Fraw. People that's known him ever since he came to that colony."

"True. But it appears that Amuro didn't even meet Sayla in the side and it seems that Amuro considers Fraw as only a friend. I detect no increase of heat from him whenever she comes here to tell him to eat or just to talk. You on the other hand…" He stopped when he saw the warning look from Chan. "I will now drop this topic. Lets just focus on the Gundam." Chan was all to eager to do so.

* * *

Amuro's room

* * *

Back in Amuro's room, Amuro was eating his breakfast while inspecting his childhood doll. He was currently thinking about his mother's words and what he thought of her. To be frank, though he was still hurt from her cruel words from before, it didn't nearly as hurt as it did now once they reconciled.

When she first said those words, they hurt more than what Char could ever do to him nor any Zeon could do to him either. He figured it was because that, despite not seeing her for a long time, he still wanted her approval and to love him. So when she said those words, it hurt him so very much. But now that they've reconciled, and seeing that she regretted her words, not to mention encouraging him to come back for his friends and not her, Amuro felt at peace with her and felt that, maybe they could be a family again. That is if he survived the war. And that was what Amuro planned to do.

"I don't care what the Zeons throw at us." Thought Amuro. "I'm making sure that we're all coming out of this war alive." With that thought, he stuffed the last of his breakfast in his mouth and began to chew. Just as he was about to swallow his food, his room's communicator suddenly came to life. Swallowing, he went over to his bed and activated the communicator, finding Sayla was contacting him. "What is it, Sayla?"

"Bright wants all pilots at combat ready status. Looks like an enemy patrol spotted us." Amuro nodded at that.

"Got it. I'll suit up." With that he turned of the communicator and sighed to himself.

"Back to the fray." Thought Amuro before going to get his pilot suit.

* * *

Few minutes ago

Zanzibar warship

* * *

"Are you sure you got right?" Asked one of the helmsmen for the Zanzibar, a Zeon spaceship capable of entering Earth's atmosphere as well as leaving it.

"Positive." Said a comms officer. "Magnetic interference is strong in the area we're heading to. Its far too large to be a Federation submarine and none of their larger sea worthy vessels can come this far into contested territory without an escort. With all these factors, I'm sure that the Trojan Horse is here."

"Alright. Better inform the lieutenant of this." Before someone could do so, they heard the door leading to the bridge open.

"Good morning gentleman. I hope that the reentry hasn't been rough for any of you." Said a man in his mid-thirties as he walked in with a woman of similar age to him. Despite his relatively young age, his hair was starting to grey, showcased with his moustache and hair, likely due to the stresses of war. Yet despite of that, his brown eyes still showed the mind of a tactical genius and pilot. One that has been in this war since the very beginning of the war. Upon seeing the man, the bridge crew saluted to him.

"No sir. Its hasn't been rough at all. If anything, this ship is better than the Komusai capsules." Said the officer in charge. The man nodded before speaking.

"Good. Is there anything else I need to know?" Asked the man.

"Actually, yes there is. We detected a large source of magnetic interference near our reentry point." The officer then led the man and woman to a holographic map showcasing the anomaly. "We believe it's the Trojan Horse, lieutenant Ral." The lieutenant just hummed at this, remembering what admiral Dozle ordered him to do when he found the Trojan Horse.

* * *

Flashback.

* * *

 _"Lieutenant Ral, I want you and your men to go and destroy that Trojan Horse." Said Admiral Dozle as he met with Ramba Ral. One of Zeon's top ace pilots, right up there with Char Aznable and Johnny Ridden. He also had his own nickname, the blue giant. Ramba Ral simply nodded. "I won't deny that I want revenge for Garma, but that's not the only reason. My sister is certain that the Federation is using it to help them design their own mobile suits. The first batch of their mobile suits have already arrived and have engaged our forces in space. Our Zakus are doing fine for now, buts its only a matter of time before the Federation improves on their mobile suits to surpass our own. And that's not mentioning those with an AI installed." Ramba Rall nodded at that. He heard about the mobile suits equipped with AIs. A single team of Federation mobile suits managed to devastate a Musai patrol. They managed to fight them off and their mother ship, but not before they destroyed two Musai and a five Zakus while they only got two. Later inspection of the mobile suits revealed that they had AIs in them that soon digitally destroyed themselves upon realizing they've been captured. Though they couldn't say that all of the mobile suits had AIs, the possibility scared many in high command. And they didn't want those machines to have more powerful mobile suits than already._

 _"So, my mission is to wipe them out?" Asked Ramba Ral. Dozle nodded at that._

 _"Capture if you can. They're technology is still worth taking. I'll try and provide support as best I can, but since the Trojan Horse appears to be going to the Odessa region, I can't provide as much support as I like as that region belongs to my sister and her subordinates. I'll see what I can do to get them to provide support, however." Ramba Ral just nodded at that. He was fine with that. He was used to fighting with little to no support, after all, due to his time as a guerrilla warfare specialist._

 _"Is that all, sir?" Asked Ramba Ral, wanting to get to Earth as fast as possible so that he can stop the Trojan Horse from taking more Zeon lives. Dozle just nodded. With that, Ramba began to leave._

* * *

Present

* * *

"What do we do, darling?" Asked the woman, his lover, Crowley Hamon. The blond woman had enlisted once she learned that he's returning to be with him. Wanting to be with her more, Ramba allowed this and she's been an asset since. Thinking on it some more, Ramba took a seat.

"Well, since the anomaly may be our objective, its worth investigating. And even if it isn't, it may be a Federation scout group, probing our defenses. So, it'll be worth it either way." He then turned to the helmsmen. "Make course to the anomaly. And inform the Komusais to be ready for battle. And inform Acous and Cozun to get ready for possible mobile suit combat." As the crew did their duties, Ramba thought of the enemy mobile suits of the Trojan Horse.

"At least one has an AI, right?" Thought Ramba Ral. "This could be tricky."

* * *

White Base

* * *

"Alright, what's the enemy strength?" Asked Bright as he rushed to the captain's seat with Mirai right behind him.

"Well, we're detecting three enemy contacts coming from the atmosphere." Said Oscar. "Two are the same size as Komusai capsules, but the third is much too large to be a capsule. They'll be closing in on us in a few minutes." Bright hummed in thought at that. Repairs from the previous battle were still ongoing and they can't target them with the main weapons when they're above them. They'll have to hide until they can get them on even ground.

"Try to hide the White Base in the nearby islands! We'll try and ambush them as they pass over us!" Bright ordered. With that, the White Base began to move to the nearby rocky islands. After a few minutes passed, the enemy ships spotted them and began to open fire. However, due to Komusai capsules possessing just machine guns, they couldn't even dent the armor of the White Base. The Zanzibar, on the other hand, was equipped with mega particle cannons and a main cannon turret along with missile launchers and machine guns. While it couldn't use the mega cannons just yet after reentry, the turret was opening fire at the White Base.

"Hold tight!" Grunted Bright as the ship shook from repeated hits from the enemy warship. Oscar said it wasn't in the database, meaning it must be a new ship capable of entering the atmosphere. "Damage report!"

"Armor is holding for now, sir, but it'll break with a few more hits from their mains guns." Said Marker. "We won't be able to make it with this volume." Bright just looked forward as he thought up of a strategy to get out of here. As he was brainstorming, he saw an approaching thunderstorm, which gave him an idea. "Mirai go directly to the thunder clouds there!" Mirai just looked at him in shock.

"Are you sure? We won't be able to spot them unless they're extremely close to us." Bright just nodded, asking her to trust him. Sighing to herself, she piloted the White Base to the thunderclouds. Just as they entered the enemy managed to fire one mega cannon to the rear of the ship, cutting right through the armor.

"Sir, that last attack took out several storage units!" Yelled Oscar as he checked the ship's systems.

"What did they hit?" Asked Bright as he braced himself for the incoming lightning. Marker just looked at the ship's manifest before speaking.

"Looks like mostly our food units. None of the ammo, fortunately." Bright just sighed at that, relieved.

"Alright. They won't be able to detect us while we're here. So, we'll try and hide in one of the islands nearby while under the cover of the storm. Mirai, can you do it?" Mirai just nodded before slowly attempting to cruise through the storm.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

"Well, brave lots, aren't they?" Said Ramba as he saw them go to the storm. "Everyone, stop pursuit. We won't be able to detect while they're in those storm clouds."

"What will we do now, sir?" Asked an officer. Ramba Ral simply tapped his chin. They didn't have much fuel left, having used most of it in the long trek to Earth from Side 3, so they can't pursue them for very long. They had enough to stay here for a little while longer until they needed to refuel at the nearest base, so Ramba decided to stay a little more to find the Trojan Horse.

"Tell the Komusais to conduct reconnaissance of the area. They couldn't have gotten far, not without us detecting. We'll stay until our fuel runs low."

"Understood." The comm officer then began to relay the orders to the Komusais, who began to conduct surveys in the area.

* * *

 **Back with White Base**

 **Rocky Island**

 **Sometime later**

* * *

"Gundam is ready to go, Mr. Bright." Said Amuro as he and the other pilots waited for the signal to launch.

"Understood." Said Bright. "Only launch when we're sure that the enemy has spotted us or when they're out or range of our main guns." Amuro just nodded as he waited patiently with everyone else. A few minutes passed before Amuro spoke to Vega.

"Listen, Vega, about what happened a few days ago. Back at the Zeon base."

 **"The time that you snapped at me?"** Upon seeing Amuro nod and looking a bit shameful, Vega replied back. **"It's alright, Amuro. Chan explained the whole situation to me. You were emotional for what your mother said, and you've been holding said emotions inside, which led to you making the outburst. I have no grudge against you, Amuro, and I accept your apology."** Amuro just let out a smile at that.

"Even still. I'm sorry for shouting at you. You didn't deserve it."

" **Noted. Now let's go back to focusing on the enemy. Bright wouldn't like to hear we've been talking about something else when we should be focusing on the potential battle to come.** " Amuro nodded at that and went back to waiting. It only took a few more seconds before everyone received an order from Sayla to launch.

"Alright, Gundam launching!" With that the Gundam launched into the air and into the rocky terrain of the island.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

"Are you sure it's not lightning?" Asked Ramba Ral, his pilot suit on. The bridge crew had just received a transmission from the Komusais. They believed they found the Trojan Horse.

"I'm positive, sir. The magnetic interference is too strong in this area." Said the pilot of one of the Komusais.

"Alright then. Zero in that location and get us there." As the Zanzibar made its way to the designation, Hamon looked at her lover with a smile.

"Be careful, darling. It's your first time fighting in gravity with a mobile suit." Said Hamon as Ramba put on his helmet.

"Don't worry, my sweet." Said Ramba Ral as he kissed her before lowering his visor. "I'll be careful. Just have the ship ready to get me and my team out. We can't afford to stay here for much longer." Hamon just nodded before they both left for the hanger. Upon arriving, Ramba went up to his new mobile suit. The mass-produced version of the Gouf, the MS-07B Gouf. Unlike the MS-07A, this version replaced the left hand for a machinegun-like one with enlarged fingers. The other large difference, aside for some tinkering to make it cheaper, was that it had a whip-like cable in the right forearm that was capable of either sending electric shocks to whatever it comes into contact with or heating up to slice through objects, like a Zaku heat hawk. The mobile suit was given to him by Dozle as a gift for his performance in the war. Upon entering the cockpit, he called in his team.

"Cozun. Acous. You two ready?"

"Ready, sir." Said Cozun in his Zaku 2 while Acous said the same thing in his Zaku.

"Good. Remember, this is our first time fighting in Earth's gravity. This isn't like back in space. So, keep that in mind. Stay close and do as I say. We'll make it through this if we do." Nodding their heads, the three pilots watched as the hanger bay opened. Once it was fully opened, the three mobile suits jumped out of the ship and onto solid ground. Once landed, the three began to march toward the White Base, having spotted it on their way down.

* * *

 **White Base mobile suit team**

 **Few hundred meters away**

* * *

" All mobile suits be advised. The enemy has landed their own mobile suits. Prepare for combat. They're just up ahead." Said Sayla as she relayed what the operators said.

"Got it. We'll be careful." Said Amuro before cutting the comms. He then commed Hayato and Kai. "Gundam will take the brunt of their assault. You guys give me covering fire."

"You got it. Hayato and I will try and find somewhere to park and give suppressing fire." Said Ryu before moving the Guntank away from the other mobile suits.

"Got a bad feeling about this Amuro." Said Kai, using the Guncannon's backup cameras to see. "Think the enemy has some new suits." Recalling the two mobile suits the fought before, Amuro just bit his lip.

"Possibly. I don't know if those were prototypes or not. Either way, we got to be careful. If they do have them, Vega and I we'll take them on."

"Alright. Sounds good." With that, the two mobile suits walked towards the enemy, scanning the area for them. As they passed a large rock, they were suddenly peppered with machine gun fire. Taking cover behind said rock, the two mobile suits looked up to see two Zaku and a new machine shooting at them from higher ground.

"A Zaku?" Said Amuro before inspecting it further. "No, it's a completely new model, like the ones from before."

" **Agreed. Beginning data analysis on it now."** Said Vega as he begun to scan the mobile suit.

"Well that's just great." Said Kai as he aimed his gun at the mobile suits, who jumped out of the way, out of sight. "Mr. Bright. We got a brand-new enemy mobile suit. What do we do?"

"I know. We just saw it." Said Bright. "Just engage the enemy for now but be careful. We don't know what its capabilities are."

"Understood." Said Amuro before Bright cut the comms. "Alright. Vega, any recommendations?"

" **Nothing that you can't do on your own. However, I advise the Guntank to cover the Gundam and Guncannon from a hidden position. Its far too slow to go against other mobile suits."**

"Agreed. Ryu, did you find a good spot to give firing support yet?"

"Yeah. Just give us a minute to get into position." Said Ryu as he piloted the Guntank between two rocks.

"So, what's the plan, Amuro. Got anything good?" Asked Kai as he scanned the area for the enemy in case, they try to do a sneak attack. Amuro just brought up a map of the area that Vega managed to obtain from the White Base's scanners before the Minovsky particles interfered with the radar. If the data was accurate, the enemy was behind the ledge they were in before. They must be either waiting for them to come to them or were trying to move into another position to get a clear shot on them. Analyzing the map, Amuro wondered on what to do.

"Vega, can we circle that ledge there and sneak past them with this path?" Asked Amuro as he pointed to an area with some large rocks.

" **If they haven't anticipated that, yes. I'll make the best path."** Said Vega as he created a blue path for them. Looking at the path, Amuro realized it was safe with plenty of cover if they used the rocks. Thinking it was their best option, Amuro went with it.

"Alright. Kai, follow me. We'll try and ambush them. Once we do so, we'll lead them back here so that the Guntank can shoot at them."

"Alright. Better than just waiting for them to do something. Lead the way." With that the two mobile suits marched toward the enemy, hoping that they haven't realized their battle plan.

* * *

 **Ramba Ral's Gouf**

* * *

"Hm. Must have realized it was an idiotic move to just follow us." Said Ramba Ral as he and his men waited for the enemy. "Either that AI told them it was a bad call or they got good instincts. Maybe both."

"So, what's the plan, sir? They may be trying to flank us." Said Cozun as Acous keeping an eye on their flanks.

"They'll most definitely try that. So, we'll use their plan against them." Using his Gouf's scanners, he tried to create a map of their surroundings. Unfortunately, due to the density of Minovsky particles, he couldn't get much other than a crude mapping of the area. And that was the highest power for his sensors. Studying the map, Ramba saw several large blurs in the area west from their current positions. Seeing that there was a blur in front of them, which was the large wall of rock in front of them, Ramba believed them to be rocks large enough to be used for cover for mobile suits. The east was mostly clear with nothing there. "Hmm, they'll most definitely try to attack us from the west. Its good rocks big enough for mobile suits to hide behind and the east is too far away from their ship for it to provide support. Alright, get into position men. We'll be ambushing them." The Zaku pilots nodded before they all rushed to their right flank. Upon arriving, the three mobile suits, hide behind the closets rocks and waited for the Gundam and Guncannon to approach, which they soon did after a couple of minutes.

Looking around, Amuro and Kai were keeping their distance from the rocks, thinking that the enemy was hiding behind them, lying in wait to ambush them.

"Vega keep the scanners up. I don't want to be ambushed." Said Amuro as they passed another set of rocks.

" **Understood. But due to the Minovsky particle density, the scanners are near useless here. I'm trying my best to compensate."**

"I understand. Just keep doing what you're doing." With that, Amuro focused on his surroundings, keeping an eye out for the enemy. **"Could they know about our plan? Only one way to be sure and that's to follow it."** As they were passing through the final set of rocks, Vega suddenly spoke up.

" **I just detected a small trace of magnetic interference up ahead. Its faint though."** Hearing that made the two mobile suits stop.

"That must mean the enemy is just up ahead. Lying in wait, behind those rocks." Said Amuro, looking at the last set of rocks. There were six in total ahead of them.

"Got to be." Kai then aimed his beam rifle at the rocks. He was about to fire when Amuro stopped him. "Hey, what's the big deal? We got them right where we want them."

"Somethings off, Kai." Said Amuro as he examined the reading. "The magnetic interference is too small for a mobile suit, even with Minovsky particles this dense. I got a feeling this is a trap. We should go back." Before he could retort, the Guncannon was suddenly peppered with gunfire. Surprised, Kai couldn't react fast enough when a grenade landed near the Guncannon, which soon exploded. Said explosion was followed with secondary explosion that came from the same grenade. While the explosions weren't enough to break the Guncannon's armor, the incoming swing from a Zaku' heat hawk would be. Fortunately, Kai managed to fire his mobile suit's shoulder cannons at his opponent, taking the Zaku's head off as a result. The pilot, shocked that the Guncannon recovered so quickly, backed off. Amuro was about to help out when the Gundam was suddenly grabbed from behind. The mobile suit then received an electric shock, damaging the internal systems. Gritting his teeth in pain as the attack managed to get to the cockpit, Amuro had the Gundam grab a beam saber and used it to cut whatever grabbed them. Fortunately, they cut it in the first swing. Backing off a bit until they hit the Guncannon's back, Amuro saw what attacked them. The new enemy mobile suit.

"Vega, what are the damages?" Asked Amuro as he watched the suit back off once he aimed his bazooka at it, hiding behind some rocks.

" **Minor damages to the AMBAC system but nothing that'll seriously impede with balancing issues. Sensor suites suffered damage as well, I'm compensating as we speak. The only major concern is that the electrical attack damaged the left arm, making it somewhat unusable right now. I recommend not relying on it for now. I'll do what I can to fix it."** Amuro acknowledged this as he focused on the new mobile suit.

"Kai, I think we need to pull back. The enemy has too many advantages in this terrain."

"Can't help but agree. Let's hightail it out of here." He was then hit again with bullets, which he retaliated with his beam rifle. He then fired his shoulder guns in a 180-degree fashion, hoping to suppress his enemies. With that, the two mobile suits began to fall back to the Guntank. As they made their way back, the enemy mobile suits began to pursue, taking potshots with their machine guns.

"Hayato! We're coming back, but the enemy is right behind us! Get ready!" Said Amuro as he fired back with the bazooka, missing them as he couldn't get a stable enough position to fire it accurately.

"Got. Ryu, can you position us so we can cover Amuro, Kai, and Vega?" Ryu acknowledged the request and began to move the Guntank in a more advantageous position.

As they pursued the enemy mobile suits, Ramba saw what was going on and told his men to stop.

"Hold it! They're trying to lead us to more open ground, exposing us to snipers. We need to stop." Upon hearing his orders, the two Zaku pilots stopped moving, realizing he's right. He was about to make another strategy when Hamon called, informing him that their fuel reserves are low and that they need to retreat. Sighing to himself, he told his men to pull back.

" **Amuro the enemy is retreating. Should we pursue them?"** Upon hearing that, Amuro and Kai stopped, seeing the enemy retreat back into the rocks.

"They must have realized what we were doing." Said Amuro. He then contacted Bright of the situation and asked what they're orders are.

"Just pull back to the White base. The enemy warship is approaching us." Upon hearing that, everyone began to pull back to the White Base. Both the Guncannon and Gundam arrived just in time when the enemy warship began to open fire on them with its main gun and machine guns.

"Where's the Guntank?!" Yelled Bright as the White Base fired with everything it had on the warship. Sayla was looking over the battlefield map and saw the Guntank was still out there, between them and the enemy ship.

"They're still on their here! Ryu, step on it or else the enemy might be able to take you out!"

"You think we aren't trying!" Yelled Ryu as he put the Guntank to the limits as they tried to get to the White Base. "This thing moves like a turtle!" He gritted his teeth as they started to be hit with machine gun fire.

"Sir, a single enemy mobile suit is still out there. Should we tell the bridge crew to aim for it? Asked the flight deck officer once the mobile suit team of the Zanzibar was back on board.

"Well, might as well get something out of this trip." Said Ramba Ral, knowing this is war. "Tell them to focus on the mobile suit. But once its down, we're out of here." The officer just nodded before relaying the orders. With the orders received, the Zanzibar focused fire on the Guntank. While the machine gun fire did nothing to the Guntank, the main gun did. The first few shots missed but the last one managed to hit the treads, putting it out of commission.

"Hayato! Ryu!" Yelled Amuro as he watched in horror as everyone saw the Guntank take a hit.

"The Mobile suit is hit. Prepare to leave the battle zone. Activate the spot lights" Said Hamon as the ship began to pull out. Before the White Base can do anything, the Zanzibar activated its spotlights, blinding everyone for a few moments as the ship made its escape. Once it did, Amuro and Kai looked for the Guntank, seeing it in a sorry state. Without thinking, the two rushed toward it, forgetting about the enemy. Once they were there, the two examined the wrecked mobile suit.

"Guys are you alright?" Amuro's question was answered with a groan.

" ***Groans*** We're fine guys. Need some help getting back to the ship though. And I think I sprained an ankle." Said Ryu. Sighing in relief at that, Amuro and Kai helped escort the Guntank back to the White Base.

* * *

 **Bridge**

 **Few minutes later**

* * *

"We'll need to make some repairs to the Gundam internals systems. The enemy caused a bit of damage to them." Said Chan as she was walking with Hayato, Kai, and Amuro to the bridge in order to give her report to Bright. "Guncannon is alright and we're replacing the head unit right now. We're also fixing the Guntank's tread as well. They all should be fully repaired in two days."

"That's good to hear. Wasn't happy to fight without a head for my mobile suit." Said Kai as they walked.

"I hope Ryu is doing fine." Said Hayato, worried for his partner. After coming out of the Guntank, Ryu went to the doctor for a check up, finding it difficult to walk with one of his legs.

"He'll be fine, Hayato." Said Amuro. "He's a soldier. He's been through worse." Hayato was about to make a comment about that when they all heard a voice being broadcasted over the bridge. Walking over to Bright, he simply looked at them.

"It's a broadcast from Side 3. They're making a political speech during Garma's funeral." Said Bright as he went back to listening. Curious, the four decided to listen in as well. Fraw came to the bridge with the kids. It was only a few seconds before Gihren Zabi spoke.

"We have lost a hero to our glorious and noble cause, but does this foreshadow our defeat? No. It is a new beginning. Compared to Earth Federation the national resources of Zeon are less than one-thirtieth of theirs. Despite this major difference, how is it that we have been able to fight the fight for so long? It is because our goal in this war is a righteous one. It's been over fifty years since the elite of Earth, consumed by greed took control of the Earth Federation. We want our freedom. Never forget the times when the Federation has trampled us! We, the Principality of Zeon, have had a long and arduous struggle to achieve freedom for all citizens of our great nation. Our fight is sacred, our cause divine. My beloved brother, Garma Zabi, was sacrificed. Why? The war is at a stalemate. Perhaps many of you have become complacent. Such a lack of compassion is worthy of scorn and disgust." Bright just narrowed his eyes as he clenched his fists as Gihren continued. Others just shifted uncomfortably as Gihren began to raise his voice.

"The Earth Federation has polluted our most cherished planet for their own greed. We must send them a message, but not composed of words. We have wasted too much time with words. We need action now. The earth side elite must be taught a strong lesson for their evil corruption. This is only the beginning of our war. We have been putting more and more money into our efforts towards making our military stronger than ever. The Earth Federation has done the same. Creating mobile suits of their own as well as making artificial intelligence. Using such abominations as foot soldiers to supplement their weakened forces. Many of your fathers and brothers have perished valiantly in the face of a contemptible enemy. We must never forget what the Federation has done to our people! My brother, Garma Zabi, has shown us these virtues through our own valiant sacrifice. By focusing our anger and sorrow, we are finally in a position where victory is within our grasp, and once again, our most cherished nation will flourish. Victory is the greatest tribute we can pay those who sacrifice their lives for us! Rise, our people, Rise! Take your sorrow and turn it into anger! Zeon thirsts for the strength of its people! SIEG ZEON!" He said the last two words with a fist raised in the air. With that the broadcast was soon followed up with a chant, praising Zeon over and over again. Bright just sighed before telling Mirai to shut it off.

"Ridiculous. He's manipulating everyone emotions in Side 3 to gain support for the war. He claims to be fighting for independence but at the same time he'll sanction actions for colony drops on earth and killing countless civilians. Its despicable." He then sighed, calming himself. "Mirai, set course for Odessa. We can't afford to delay." Mirai, a little unnerved from the speech, simply nodded and set a course for Odessa. Kai, Hayato and Amuro looked at each other, unsure of what to think. They then looked at Chan and Fraw holding the kids, comforting them as they didn't understand what was going on.

"What do you think?" Asked Amuro as he looked at the setting sun. Kai just sighed before speaking.

"Well, on one hand, he right. The Earth elite kind of brought this to themselves when they tightened their grip on the colonies and not giving them any representation. But on the other, you got Zeon and what they did during this war. Not to mention run by a psycho family, like the Zabis. Honestly, both sides are in the wrong, just on different things." Both Hayato and Amuro just nodded, getting what he was saying. Hayato then sighed. People their age really shouldn't know all this stuff. They then looked to see Chan coming up to them, looking at them in concern.

"We're fine Chan. Thanks anyway." She then shook her head before pointing at Sayla. Upon seeing Sayla's expression, the boys looked in surprise.

She held a look of hatred. But not any ordinary hatred, it was something far worse and personal. Like someone had just spit on the name of someone you loved that had just died.

" **Why does she have that look on her face?"** Thought Amuro before placing a hand on Chan's shoulder.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Side 3**

* * *

Char Aznable was reading a magazine as he waited for Lalah's session to be finished. Just as Kycilia has said, the doctors were gentle with Lalah and her testing. Never using any immoral testing on her. While Char was certain they were annoyed with this, feeling it was taking too long to get results, he didn't care. If they hurt Lalah, he'll tear them all in tear. Just as he was about to flip a page, Lalah soon appeared with a doctor. Upon seeing the Indian girl, Char let out a smile. A genuine one at that. Lalah was the only one to ever bring his softer side out. Well, aside from his sister that is. Having meet her back during his time as a worker on Earth, plus saving her from a cruel master, he took her back to space when Dozle brought him back to Side 3. It was a trying time for her and he did his best to help her with the sudden move to space. At first, he only took her along because he felt a sudden ping of sympathy, but as time went on, Char began to feel greatly attached to her. Almost as attached as he was to his sister. Perhaps even more if more time passes.

For all of his adult life, he didn't know who to trust. The only one he ever trusted completely after his father's death was his sister and he abandoned her when he joined the military academy in side 3. In the academy, he didn't trust anyone, seeing them all as just tools to get his revenge against the Zabis. Sure, he cared for them and made sure to get them all out alive when the team exercises occurred and he felt remorse for the deaths of his comrades during the battle of Loum or during his chase against the Trojan Horse, but he never truly trusted them with his mission and his true identity. But this girl. He felt like he could trust her with everything. He wanted to protect her and watch her grow into a fine young woman. Perhaps even…

"Captain. I'm finished." Said Lalah with a happy tone upon seeing Char. Putting down the magazine, Char gave her a hug.

"That's good. They didn't hurt you or anything, right?" Asked Char with a gentle tone, taking her hand. She just shook her head at that.

"Not at all, captain. They've been gentle since the start. To be honest, I almost feel embarrassed when I was scared with the tests at first." Said Lalah, remembering she gave the doctors some trouble initially when they began to conduct their tests. It was only after Char comforted her and reassured her that he'll be close by to save her should anything go wrong, that she allowed the tests to be conducted.

"It's alright, Lalah. You shouldn't be embarrassed. You didn't know if they hurt or not." Char then looked at the doctor. "Is Lalah done for today?" The doctor just nodded.

"Of course, captain. We just need to do yours and you two are free to go." Char nodded in understanding.

"It'll be quick, Lalah. Wait for me, okay?" Lalah just nodded before taking a seat, telling the captain she'll wait for him. With that, the two men left for the testing room.

"Alright, Char. This will be quick. Just lay down on the machine and we'll commence the tests." Char just nodded before laying down on the high-tech pod in the room they're in.

Char knew what the pod did. It was to try and attempt to awaken the newtype powers in an individual by giving them certain stimuli or signals to the brain. So far, it failed to awaken even a single one of the individuals slated for newtype potential. But the doctors and Kycilia are stubborn to see it succeed. Once he laid down, a transparent glass encased him inside the pod. Once enclosed, he removed his mask and began to wait for the doctor to start the test. "Okay Char imagine something that you hate. Something that you want gone in your life for good." Char smirked at that. That was easy. He wanted the Zabis gone. Imagining all the ways he thought up to kill them, Char didn't know that the test even started until the headgear inside the pod grasped his head. As the pod glowed, Char soon began to think up of the Gundam and its pilot and AI. Gritting his teeth, he began to think about the day he'll finally beat them and repair his damaged pride.

"Okay, Char." Said the doctor as he took notes. "Lady Kycilia told me to do this special test for you. She believed that this will help you in achieving your newtype powers. Is this fine for you?" Char, hearing it from a speaker in the pod, simply said to do it. With that, the doctor began to put in the special test for him. The pod then glowed dark red as the pod began to stimulate Char.

Soon, Char began to experience visions. Horrifying visions. He saw his father being assassinated by the Zabi family, which was soon followed with his mother and his sister. It then ended with them killing him and tearing down his father's vision of a bright future for humanity. He then experienced another vision of the Federation winning the war and destroying Side 3 as a result. Using their newly constructed mobile suit and AI forces to do so. Those faceless machines slaughtering civilians with no remorse will haunt him for days to come. The visions got worse and worse until he saw Lalah being struck down by the white mobile suit's saber. It then looked at Char before throwing its saber at him. It was then that he begun to experience large amounts of rage, something that caught the eye of the doctor as his scanners began to go off the charts.

"Impressive." Said the doctor as he saw the readings. They far surpassed anything they got from the other candidates, even Lalah herself. He then heard Char yelled out in rage before he slammed his fists into the glass, breaking it slightly. Seeing this, the doctor, stopped the tests and opened the pods. Upon seeing Char sweating in his uniform, the doctor helped the man. "Are you okay?" As he tried to gain his breath, Char just nodded his head. Once he recovered, he spoke to the doctor.

"Did the test help?" Asked Char. The doctor just nodded.

"Yes. We've gotten more progress with you than any other candidate." Said the doctor. "Within just a month, we should be able to awaken your newtype powers. That is if we do this test again." Char just looked at the doctor, unnerving him slightly at the stare, before speaking again.

"So long as Lalah isn't subjected to this test, then I'll be fine with it." The doctor just nodded. Not like they could do it anyway. Kycilia gave them strict orders to never hurt Lalah, both emotionally and physically. "Are we done." The doctor just nodded. "Good. Have a good day doctor." Once he went out, Lalah made a fuss over what happened as she heard him screaming. Char just smiled before reassuring the Indian girl that he was alright and that they can leave. He even laughed when she wrapped his right arm protectively before the two left.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **A week later**

 **Gobi Desert**

 **Revil's Big Tray battleship**

* * *

"Are you sure?" Asked Revil as he read the report.

"Yes, sir." Said Selina. "The mineral resources in Odessa can be mined for several decades nonstop with current Zeon mining tech." Revil put down the report before thinking to himself. If that was true, then why did Elron say that the Zeons were finished with mining everything in Odessa. And why was he so obsessed in not going to Odessa anyway. He'd never cared about his troops before. Yet even when they were taking off, he still tried to convince Revil to stop the invasion. Something was off. And he was determined to figure out what was going on.

"Miss Agi. What I'm asking you is dangerous, and I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, but can you switch places with Elron's secretary?" Selina just blinked before speaking.

"Come again, sir?" Asked Selina. Revil just sighed.

"I have a sneaking suspicion that Elron is up to something and I want to be confident that he isn't doing anything that can hamper the operation. The operation is too important for us to lose. So, I want you to switch places with his assistant. Find out what you can from him and see if he's had dealings with the Zeons. I'll do the same with his assistant." Selina just looked at Revil in disbelief. She couldn't believe he was asking her to do so.

"Sir, I took this job because I wanted to be away from danger. I didn't take it, so I can be your personal spy." Revil just closed his eyes, understanding that she was hurt.

"I understand your refusal to do so, Miss Agi. And it shames me to ask you to put your life on the line when you have a family waiting for you back at Jaburo, but if Elron is working for the Zeons, then its important to catch him before he does something that can endanger this operation. So please, can you do this request for me." Selina just shook her head.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't. I'm not brave nor skilled enough to do this for you." Revil just nodded his head. It probably wouldn't have worked anyway. Elron would have been suspicious of the sudden request. He'll have to find another way to get info on Elron.

"I understand completely, Miss Agi. And I shouldn't have asked you to do so. Let's keep this to ourselves." Said Revil. Selina nodded her head, agreeing with him. "Moving on, are we receiving any more reinforcements from the other battle groups?" Selina just slipped through her reports before, seeing something that might interest Revil.

"There are actually two things of interest, sir. The Kojima battalion is sending two MS teams to the Odessa operation." Revil just looked at Selina in surprise.

"Isn't the Kojima battalion stationed in Southeast Asia. Why are they sending troops to us?"

"According to them, the Zeon in Southeast Asia have managed to send a prototype weapon along with some additional forces to the Odessa region. They tried to break through but the Zeon special forces group, Midnight Fenrir, arrived and broke through their attempts to stop them. As a result, they reported in that the enemy is in a state where they can safely send troops to help us. They'll be here in two weeks." Revil couldn't believe this. While he was happy to receive more troops, the Zeons getting a new weapon was something that he didn't want at all.

"Is there any good news that doesn't come with complications, miss Agi." Selina just let out a small giggle before speaking.

"Yes. Whitley has just reported in that the new Gundam is nearly done. They just need to finish installing the new generator and the new weapons." Revil nodded at that. They finally managed to get it done.

"And what about the Core boosters? Are they completed?" Selina nodded at that.

"They're ready to be sent to the White Base with the mobile suit, sir." Revil stood up from his chair and looked out the window.

"Good. Looks like things are finally looking up to us. Miss Agi, you're dismissed." With that Agi, left the room, leaving Revil alone to ponder on what to do with Elron.

* * *

 **Just a heads up, I'll be meshing some episodes together to save time as well as to avoid making this fic a complete retelling of the canon story. Also, plot divergence from canon will start to happen after Ramba's death with characters being added that weren't in the original show.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **Thekiller7- Yes, age does have its advantages, mainly more combat experience and whatnot. As for Char, the pod was an idea of mine where the idea was to stimulate the brain in hopes to bring out the Newtype potential in a person through drugs or other stimuli, so I guess you can say its an early attempt at a cyber newtype.**

 **RedRat8- Actually, I was referring to the GM sniper custom. They should be a great help for the White Base along with standard GMs.**

 **Warning ahead, there are characters here that come from a Video Game that was released in the early 2000's. Keep that in mind.**

* * *

 **Gobi dessert**

 **Zeon mining base 24**

* * *

"These new mobile suits looked a bit worn out." Commented Ramba Ral as he inspected the Zaku models, the new Zaku F2. As the war was progressing on, the R&D department realized that they needed to upgrade their old Zaku 2 models, especially with the Gouf being introduced as well as the Federation new mobile suits, or else they'll be rendered obsolete, which was bad for the Zeon military as they have a large stock of Zakus. As a result, the retrofitting to upgrade old Zaku 2s to the F2 type were being commenced. It was still an ongoing progress, however.

"Yes sir, but you'll love to hear this." Said an officer as he gave him a report of the new Zaku model. "This new model is actually lighter, despite the more heavily armored torso, and a more powerful engine. It's a more improved model than the original. I assure you." Ramba just hummed to himself.

"Well, there's only one way to test that, but if it'll help my boys to stay alive, then who am I to complain. Very well. You'll have our Zaku 2s in exchange for these." The officer just nodded before telling his men to take the Zakus. Ramba just sighed before heading back to his men. Supplies must be an all time low if units have to trade stuff to get required materials just to keep themselves in fighting strength. And with the Federation marching their way to Odessa, this spells bad news for them all. He wasn't sure if they can even defend Odessa against the Federation army. They outnumber their own forces, at least, ten to one. After his mission against the Trojan Horse is complete, he'll ask Dozle Zabi to allow him to stay back to help defend Odessa. Though Odessa was under the control of Kycilia's forces, the resources coming from Odessa benefitted Zeon as a whole and were needed to help continue the war. He was certain Dozle would agree with him if he provided a good enough reason to convince him. As he was walking, he suddenly heard a familiar laugh. One that made him smile.

"Well if it isn't the Blue Giant!" Yelled a middle-aged man with light browned hair as he walked toward Ramba Ral with a group of three people, two of whom were men his age and the other was a teenage girl. The two men were people that Ramba recognized as some of Zeon's best pilots. The man with black hair and eyes was Lou Roher and the other, the man who was also bald was Matt Austin, his partner. The two have been together since the One Year War and have been an effective fighting force since. The red-headed girl was an unknown, however, and Ramba guessed she was either an operator for them or a reserve pilot. Ramba just chuckled before facing the man and holding out his hand, which the man shook eagerly.

" **I didn't expect the Midnight Fenrir to be here on this base."** Thought Ramba with pleasant surprise as he shook the hand of the commander of the Midnight Fenrir, Gerhart Schmitzer, a mobile suit pilot that was cripples so extensively in the One Week battle that he couldn't pilot a mobile suit as effectively as he did back in the start of the war. But that didn't stop him from retiring. Instead, he went up to Kycilia Zabi and asked her to form the Midnight Fenrir unit.

The Midnight Fenrir. A name that many Federation troops cursed upon mention. Formed in the aftermath of the Antarctic Treaty, the Midnight Fenrir was a special forces unit under the command of Kycilia Zabi. Since their landing on Earth, the unit participated in many decisive battles, such the capture of the California base and various attacks to help solidify Zeon control in the North American region. Since the capture of the California base, they've been used to suppress Federation stragglers still in the region or to capture supplies for the Zeon forces, earning them a reputation with both sides of the war as an effective fighting force. Ramba, who was friends with Gerhart during the Republic of Zeon days, was happy to see his friend again, though he wished it was under different circumstances.

"I told you many times before, Gerhart, its just Ramba." Said Ramba Ral with a smile, which the man responded with his own smile. "I must admit, I didn't expect to come across you again, old friend. I heard that you've been stationed here, but I didn't expect to meet you again." Matt just chuckled at that.

"Neither did we expect to see you here, Blue Giant. After we've helped bring a protype weapon from Asia, we got assigned to this region. We've been ordered to monitor any Federation forces in the area and to stop them if we've spotted any. But because our mobile suits needed maintenance, we've been forced to come here by truck." Upon hearing the frustration coming from his comrade's voice, Lou just sighed.

"Matt. The reason they're in maintenance is because the Federation struck us hard with their own mobile suits." Upon hearing that, Matt winced a bit, remembering the close call he had. He then clenched his fists as he remembered how his Zaku 1 was shot down by an enemy mobile suit he was fighting. He dodged a barrage of machine gun fire from the mobile suit, using his Zaku's thrusters, only to get hit with the suit's shoulder cannons. He was only still alive because his partner, Lou Roher, saved him in the nick of time. Though he was grateful to still be alive, that fight left a wound to his pride as that was the closet a feddie had to actually killing him and it was only thanks to a computer program. While Matt was reminiscing, Ramba looked at Roher.

"Is that so, Roher? I'm guessing those mobile suits had AIs installed." Roher just nodded grimly.

"It would seem so. The mobile suit that Matt faced reacted too fast for it to be human reflex alone. Matt was lucky to survive at all as well as the rest of us. We barely managed to beat back the Federation by destroying their command vehicle, but I'm sure they'll be back. We had to leave two members of our team behind in case the Federation tries to attack again, but I don't know how long the base will hold. The Federation is making ground every day and it's only a matter of time before they make a move on M'Quve's stronghold." Ramba just sighed at that.

"That's unfortunate. Can we even defend the region from the Federation?" Matt just smirked at that.

"We will if that protype weapon is as vicious as that Sahalin guy says it is. Not even that Gundam can withstand a mega particle cannon." Ramba blinked at the term Gundam.

"Gundam? You mean the white mobile suit of the Trojan Horse?" Roher just nodded.

"We got that information when we were in Asia. We managed to ambush a Federation patrol and discovered some information about the Trojan Horse. Its only the official names of the mobile suits and some specs, however. We're happy to share that information with you, if you're interested." Ramba nodded at that. That could be extremely useful for his mission.

"Of course. I may need them to complete my mission to destroy the Trojan Horse and those mobile suits. Capture them if I can." Gerhart just smiled at that.

"We'll provide the data to you before we leave. In the meantime, however, how about we got to get a bite to eat. The food is terrible here and there's a town not too far from here. It must be better than they're serving here, and we'll pay too." Ramba just chuckled at that.

"To be honest, I'm feeling famished as well. Alright, I'll inform my men and I'll take however wants to go."

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **White Base**

* * *

"Are you certain of this?" Asked Bright as the chef of the ship, ensign Tamura, reported that they're nearly out of salt and water.

"Yes, sir. I'm sorry that I haven't reported this in earlier, sir. But with the amount of people I have for kitchen duties as well as the number mouths to feed, I haven't been able to do an inventory check as of late." Tamura said, feeling shame for letting this happen.

"Its alright, Tamura. I'll notify the supply corp to bring salt and water the sent the next time we get a resupply." Tamura, however, didn't stop.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we need to get it now. We only have enough salt and water for three more days. And that's if we ration them. We need to get it now or else we'll see crew performance drop." Bright just sighed at that, knowing he was right.

"Alright, I'll speak with the operators. Maybe we'll get something from them." Tamura then saluted, apologizing again, before leaving. With the head chef gone, he walked over to Carmine and Isaac, both to give their reports to him. "Aright, how's the situation on your ends, gentleman?"

"Crew is fine, sir. Morale is steady and there have been no accidents as of late. There's nothing else to report." Said Carmine. With Carmine's report done, Isaac began his own.

"Well, repairs to the Guncannon are finished and we're nearly finished with the Guntanks'. The ship is fine as well, but we need to land to do some more in-depth inspection check on the engines. We can't do so with them on." Bright nodded, knowing that it's been a while since the engineers could make an inspection on the engines and he didn't want an engine failure to happen during battle as that could mean doom for him and his crew. The only problem is that they need to find a hiding spot for them to conduct that inspection. Though the Federation was making stride in claiming territory in the region, they're still in enemy territory, far away from any Federation support.

"Alright. We'll settle down in a remote location, so you can do your inspections." He then turned to the operators. "Find a location where we can hide the ship from the enemy. We need to make an inspection check on the engines." The operators just nodded before trying to find one with the radar. After a few minutes, they found a suitable location.

"Sir, we've found a valley we can use as a hiding spot for the White Base. Its between to mountains and its tall enough for the White Base to hide in." They then showed a 2D map of the valley. Inspecting the valley, Bright saw that it was adequate for their needs. Aside from the air or from the mountains themselves, the only way to see the White base was either through the large entryway leading to the valley or a smaller one that went to another direction.

"That'll do. Mirai set us down in that valley." She simply nodded before piloting the ship to the valley. As they were on their way, Bright told the operators to find a town they could use to restock for basic food supplies. They gave them his answer when Mirai managed to land the White Base in the valley.

"Sir, there's a town nearby, maybe ten miles away. I don't know if it has the supplies you want, but its worth a look." Bright agreed. It's worth a look.

"Alright. Carmine take a few crew members and go to that village. Pay for any provisions that you find. We don't want to stir the locals." The man just nodded before taking off. "Sayla, have the Guncannon and Gundam on guard duty. Just because we're in hiding, doesn't mean the enemy might not come here and find us accidentally. We'll need a quick response if they do."

* * *

 **Later**

 **Hanger bay 1**

* * *

Amuro and Chan were working on the Gundam's internal systems when Carmine arrived.

"Alright, I need volunteers for a quick provision run. We're going to a nearby town to get some food and water. Anyone want to come for that?" Everyone just looked at the man, wondering if they should go.

"Well, I'm bored as heck." Said Kai while holding a magazine. "Might as well go." He then looked over to Chan and Amuro. "You guys coming with?" The two looked at each other. Aside from the Guntank, the mobile suits were all fixed and didn't need to be looked at anymore. Wanting to be sure, Chan yelled to Al.

"Is it alright, if I go with Carmine, Al?" Al, in the middle of fixing the Guntank's treads, just nodded.

"Yeah. Honestly, there's not much to do with the mobile suits anyway. Just need to do this and we're done. And the engines don't need much other than a quick inspection. I'm sure we can spare losing one engineer." Chan nodded in understanding before looking at Amuro, who shrugged. He didn't have anything more to do. Besides, he wanted to get some fresh air, even though they're in the desert.

"We're coming to, sir!" Yelled Amuro. "Just let us get changed into civilian clothes." Carmine just nodded before telling them to meet him near the buggies. As Carmine was leaving, Amuro began to talk to Vega.

"I'll be gone for a little while. Can you defend the White Base without me?"

" **Affirmative. I'll defend the White Base to the best of my abilities. You just go find provisions for the crew so that the others can fight to their best in the coming battles."** Said Vega, assuring Amuro. Nodding his head, Amuro left the cockpit and went to his room to change, Chan following. As they walked, Chan began to speak.

"You two get along well." Said Chan. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've known each other your whole lives. Even close friends." Amuro just chuckled at that.

"I guess you can say that. He's helped me keep a level head during our first few battles and even helped me score a hit on the Red comet several times." Chan had heard about that and she was impressed, knowing they didn't have much in terms of team work back then. "And you're right about the whole friend's thing. He's had my back the whole time during our sorties along with Kai, Hayato, and Ryu. Not only that, but he's there when the others can't be. Back during that attack at the Zeon base, the one after I spoke with my mother, I snapped at him and I felt bad for it. He didn't deserve that. He was just being concerned for me. So, when I apologized to him a few days later, I was surprised he didn't hold a grudge. I know he's a machine and all, but I consider him a friend and a teammate, one that'll be there for you whenever you need them." Chan just smiled at that. Happy that Amuro was bonding with the crew.

"I'm glad to hear that, Amuro. I really am." Said Chan. "And I'll be there for you in the hanger bay, fixing your mobile suit whenever you come back. So that it'll be at one hundred percent efficiency when you're back out in the field with Vega."

"I know. And I'm grateful for it along with Kai, Vega, and Hayato. Our mobile suits are well maintained thanks to you guys. Especially you Chan. Vega said you focus more on the Gundam than the other two." Chan just blushed at that.

"Well, Isaac and Al thought that, since the Gundam has an AI on it, it'll help with maintenance if the Gundam. And since I'm just a cadet, they thought it would be perfect for me. I don't do much, honestly. You and Vega do most of the work." Amuro just shook his head at that.

"Don't sell yourself short, Chan. I'd seen your work and so did Vega. You know your way around the Gundam's intricate systems. You know your limits and you ask for help when you need it. And you even helped increase its power generated by a third of a percentage. I didn't think that was possible until you did it and so did Vega. You're a great mechanic Chan, maybe even better than me." Upon hearing that, Chan blushed more darker and began to twirl her blue hair in embarrassment.

"That's kind of you to say, Amuro. You're great mechanic yourself, too." Said Chan. "Even better than my instructor back at the academy. He wouldn't have thought to switch the power converters for the thrusters to the balancers to increase the Gundam's stability under gravity. He would have just transferred more power to the balancers from other essential systems, thus decreasing its performance." Amuro just chuckled at that.

"Well, to be fair, it did cause us to lose some thrust power for the main boosters. Still, better that than losing performance in other areas." He then looked at his watch. "Got to change now, Chan. We'll be late if we don't." Chan nodded at that before they took off for their rooms.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Town**

* * *

"So, what are we looking for?" Asked Fraw Bow as the buggy parked on the edges of the town. She came with the others to help procure food and water for the crew. The kids should be fine on their own for a while. They had Sayla and Mirai to look after them, after all.

"Salt and water, primarily, though other types of food will be welcomed." Said Carmine as he and Stratton looked over the grocery list.

"Won't find much, sir. Town's pretty run down." Carmine nodded as he looked around. All the buildings were made from old stone and wood. Not a single car was to be found. The placed looked like a ghost town actually, given that most people were probably in their homes to avoid the sand and heat.

"Still, we have to try. Stratton go with the kids with Ramirez. Find whatever store the locals have and asked for salt and water. And make sure it isn't outrageous prices. I'll stay with the buggies." The man nodded before the group left for whatever store the town had. Fraw looked a bit scared as she didn't find anyone on the streets. To better comfort herself, she grabbed on Amuro's arm and held it. Upon seeing it, Chan felt a tinge of jealousy but squashed it down. The place was a bit scary with no one on it.

"Where is everyone? There's not battles near here, otherwise we would have gotten transmissions from the Federation, right?" Amuro, nodded at that, questioning it as well.

"They're all probably guerrilla fighters." Said Stratton. "Heard there's a few of those in Odessa." Kai, however, had a more cynical view.

"Or they're all in hiding because they're afraid of strangers. After all, the only strangers here will be from Zeon." Kai looked at the windows of the buildings and only saw one pair of eyes, which quickly left when they saw him look at them. "And guessing because of Zeon's previous actions in the war, they're afraid they'll do something heinous to them if they do something that the Zekes don't like." Stratton was about to reprimand Kai for that, but Ramirez just nodded.

"Kids got a point, sir." Said Ramirez as she choose her words carefully, knowing that Stratton didn't like to bad mouth Zeon too much. "Zekes didn't exactly get sympathy points when they dropped a colony on Earth. People here are probably scared that'll happen to them and their homes if they decide to do something like that again." Stratton was about to retort before stopping himself. No point in arguing. Luckily, Kai spotted a building with a store sign in front. After notifying everyone of the store, they all moved in and began to speak with the cashier when they spotted him.

As Stratton was talking with the man about salt and water, Kai was looking outside, bored out of his mind. Looking at the others, he saw Amuro and Chan inspecting a few machine parts that the store had, talking some techno babble that Kai didn't care to understand, while Fraw was looking at them with a pout. Snickering to himself at the thought that Fraw was jealous, Kai looked outside again and stopped upon seeing two large flat bed trucks incoming along with a military jeep. Knowing that there were no Federation troops in the area, Kai yelled out to Stratton as he was finalizing the deal with the cashier.

"Guys, got some Zeons coming in." Said Kai as he saw them getting closer and closer, letting him get a better view on what they had. "They're packing mobile suits too, I'm guessing." Upon hearing that, Ramirez looked to see the trucks finally coming to town and parking near a restaurant.

"Oh boy. I count at least twenty sir and I'm guessing the flat bed trucks have one mobile suit each on them." Said Ramirez as she saw that the flat bed trucks had something under tarps. "What do we do?" Stratton just breathed in before speaking.

"Well, since we're in civilian clothing, they'll think we're just locals or people from another town. Just stay calm and act normal. We'll be gone soon." The others looked at each other in uncertainty before nodding. They then proceeded to go on their business or were keeping an eye on the Zeons. Kai, keeping an eye on the Zeons, noticed that one of the soldiers was just a teenage girl, around his age. Her bright red hair was beautiful to look at and her blue eyes were like clear water ponds that Side 7 had. She was currently talking with one of the older soldiers. Once she was done, she looked around town, taking in her surroundings before landing her eyes on Kai, who stopped looking at her as a result. To his embarrassment, he heard her giggle in amusement. Feeling his cheeks burning, he looked to see several men coming up to Stratton with three bags of salt and three jugs of water. Paying the men, the required money, he looked at everyone.

"Alright people, we're free to go. Let's get out of here before the Zeons figure out we're with the Federation." Said Stratton as he grabbed a jug and bad. Relieved to be out of here, Amuro and Kai grabbed the other bags while the girls handled the jugs. As they left the store, Kai saw the girl from before looking at them with curiosity. Giving her a wink and a wave as he passed her, Kai saw her cheeks blushing a bit at the gesture, making him chuckle a bit. Once they were gone, Ramba and Roher went to the girl.

"Got a crush on that local, Hepner?" Asked Roher, looking at his teammate. The girl just shook her head.

"Not really. Just got a bit flustered is all." Said Hepner as she looked at the direction from where the boy and his group took. Though she wouldn't deny that the silver-haired boy was quite handsome to her eyes. "They got a lot of bags and water for such a small group." Ramba nodded in agreement, his gut telling him something was off about them.

"They could just be stocking up food and water." Said Roher, his analytical mind thinking of the many possibilities. "Its difficult for nonmilitary personal to get anything in the region." Roher then frowned. "Then again, they could be guerillas or even personal from the Trojan Horse. I've heard rumors they're in the region as we speak." Hepner just looked at Roher when he said that.

"I think they're just people that live here, Roher. They're too young to be guerillas, most of them, and there's no way the Federation will allow people that age to be on a ship that important. They'll crew it with their most experienced men and women." Ramba would have agreed with them, but he saw the way they walked. The two oldest walked professionally, holding their loads with ease. They didn't look back at them like most civies would, they kept moving forward without looking at them at all. And the teenagers with them. Only one walked remotely similar to the oldest, but it was marred with nervousness, likely from seeing so many soldiers in the area. The boy that Hepner blushed from was too carefree but had the eyes of someone that was cautious. The other two were a mystery to Ramba. The girl was nervous, but wasn't as disciplined as the blue haired one, but the brown-haired boy was interesting. He walked like the oldest, not giving them any attention, but wasn't as skilled in handling his load while walking. Something was very off with the group and his gut feeling was telling him it as well. Having learned to trust his gut feeling during his time as a guerilla fighter, Ramba followed the group, motioning Hepner and Roher to follow him. Not knowing they were being followed, the group began to unload their cargo to the buggies.

"Wish we could have gotten more, sir, but the cashier drove a hard bargain." Said Stratton as they unloaded the last of the water and salt.

"Its alright, you did what you could do." Said Carmine, looking at what they brought. "Looks like we'll have to rely on the Medea supply corps to send us salt and water the next time we meet." Stratton just nodded. "Alright, we're set to go back. Hope you guys didn't expect to stay here any longer. No way, am I staying here more with the Zeons here." Everyone agreed with him and got on. Just as they were about to leave, they heard a voice yelling out to them.

"Stop right there!" Yelled Ramba as he walked toward the group with Roher and Hepner in tow. Upon seeing who it was, everyone aside from Fraw tensed up.

"That's the blue giant." Said Ramirez as Kai looked at the man in disbelief, not believing that a Zeon ace was here. They heard about the Blue Giant, his reputation as a guerrilla fighter was unprecedented. Though he spent most of his time in space, the times he was on Earth were vicious and cost many Federation soldiers their lives. His reputation sky rocketed when he took down two Big Tray battleships at the same time along with their escorts. To see such a legendary figure here, caused them to tense up. The first to recover, Carmine looked at the ace pilot with a stoic expression.

"Anything I can do for you, sir?" Asked Carmine, keeping cool. The Blue Giant just raised his hand as he walked towards them.

"Nothing really. I just wanted to speak to you all." Said Ramba as he inspected their cargo. Knowing that it was rude, Ramba nonetheless began to tap the three bags of salt they had. Fraw was about to yell of how rude that was when Amuro grabbed her hand and shook his head, giving her a silent stare to tell her to keep calm and that they were in danger. Seeing the look, Fraw pursed her lips but relented, trusting him. "Hm…just salt and water, eh. Quite a strange haul you got here. Normally, people would get a more varied haul than this. Why would you just have salt and water, I wonder?" Carmine just curled his toes as he looked at the blue giant, knowing that they had to keep calm or else something bad might happen.

"Well, strange hauls like this can occur at time. We needed the salt for our food as well as those back in where we live." Processing this information, Ramba looked at the man in the eye. As he starred down at Carmine, Ramba saw the eyes of a soldier, hardened by battle and the loss of comrades. Looking at the others, he saw the same looks from the other boys and one of the girls. The others were unsure and nervous. Pursing his lips, Ramba looked at the two girls, starring them down, trying to get a feel of who they are. As Chan and Fraw were getting nervous and uncomfortable with the stare they're getting, Amuro stepped in.

"Hey, leave them alone! They don't need something like this from someone like you!" Yelled Amuro, getting off and shoving Ramba away. As everyone looked at this in shock, Ramba looked at Amuro. Upon seeing the look of defiance and protectiveness in his eyes, Ramba just chuckled.

"Well, I'm impressed boy." Said Ramba as he saw Amuro in a sloppy fighting stance. He was obviously not trained in hand to hand combat, but the fact that he was willing to stand up, made Ramba respect the boy. There weren't many he knew that would be willing to do something like this without being stupid. But this boy, he saw that he was smart enough to not pick a fight when he starred down at him or when he was inspecting their bags. No, he only began to pick a fight when Ramba was making his two friends uncomfortable. And that was something that Ramba respected. A person willing to fight to protect the people they love, but also know when not to fight. "You know when to not fight but also when to intervene to protect those you love. Not a lot of people have both traits." Chuckling to himself, Ramba put his hands as he turned away. "Listen boy, if we ever face in the battlefield, give it all you got. Because I won't be holding back." Amuro, stunned to hear that, looked at Ramba in confusion, wondering why he was giving him advice.

"Amuro, its time to leave." Said Chan, worried for her friend. Everyone nodded their heads as they waited for Amuro to get in. Ramba, seeing no point in keeping them here, told them to leave. As Amuro was getting in the buggy, Ramba yelled out.

"Good luck in the future, Amuro. You'll need it." Said Ramba as he walked away to Roher and Hepner. Amuro, hearing that, turned around and said thank you, causing Ramba to chuckle. Once the buggies were gone, Ramba turned to Roher, get someone to follow them quickly. If they're actually with the Federation, the Trojan Horse may be close by." Roher just nodded before running back to get a transport vehicle and someone to tail them. Hepner, alone with Ramba, just looked at the older man.

"Why didn't you do anything when he pushed you, sir?" If it was Matt that was pushed, he would have punched the boy back and held him in place while lecturing him. Ramba just smiled before leaving, not telling Hepner a thing.

* * *

 **Later**

 **White Base**

* * *

"That was a reckless thing you did, Amuro." Said Bright as he lectured Amuro over his actions. When the group came back, Carmine told Bright of what occurred. When he told him of Amuro's actions, Bright got annoyed with him. He thought of slapping Amuro for his actions, but went against his thoughts, knowing that it wasn't the right course of actions for this situation. Besides, he wasn't sure if he could refrain himself from fighting Ramba Ral if he did it to Mirai or any of his crew. "You're lucky that Ramba Ral let you off the hook. If it was anyone else, like Char, they would have arrested you on the spot as well as everyone in your group." Amuro, standing at attention, just sighed before speaking.

"I know, sir, but I just couldn't help myself. He just wouldn't stop being so creepy." Said Amuro. Bright had to agree there. "I just lost control when he wouldn't stop. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Bright just sighed, knowing that it won't due to keep this up. They had other things to worry about.

"Just don't let it happen again and learn to keep calm under those situations. You won't get lucky the twice." Amuro nodded as saluted him. Once that was done, he looked at Mirai and Carmine. "You think, they'll try and find us."

"Well, Ramba Ral was suspicious of our contents and he let us go too easily. I think he had a man tailing us, but I don't know for sure." Mirai, unsure either, voiced her opinion.

"Bright, I think it's best to get the White Base moving and into combat status. Just to be on the safe side." Carmine agreed with her, nodding his head in agreement. Agreeing with both of his advisors and most trusted crewmates, Bright began to order everyone back to the ship as well as ordering Amuro back to the Gundam, which he did so eagerly. As he was barking orders, the engineers looked at each other in disbelief.

"God damnit. We're not yet finished with the engines." Complained Al as he went inside the ship with Isaac.

"Complain it to Bright later, we got to get the mobile suits ready." Said Isaac as they went into the hanger. As they moved to the upper levels, they saw Chan handling the launch procedures.

"Okay, Guncannon and Gundam, you're clear to launch. Good luck out there, boys." Said Chan as the Guncannon and Gundam began to move out from the White Base.

"You got it, Chan. You sure know how to inspire confidence in us." Said Kai as the Guncannon and Gundam made some distance between them and the White Base. Once they were in a good enough distance, the Gundam flew up and to the mountains. Once there, Amuro and Vega began to scan for any movement. After a few minutes, Kai spoke to them. "Got anything you two?"

" **Negative. The enemy may be trying a stealth maneuver though."** Vega said as he monitored the radars they had, though they're performing in less than optimal levels due to the Minovsky particles the White Base was emitting. **"We'll keep searching though."**

"Got it." Said Kai before disconnecting the comms and began to look around. Breathing in and out, Kai was thinking about that pretty girl that he saw back at the town. It was hard to believe that such a beautiful girl was in the military at such a young age. Then again, he could say that to Chan as well. He would have loved to get to know her better or even just her name. She seemed like such a sweet girl.

" **To bad we're on opposite sides."** Thought Kai. **"That'll just spell disaster for both of us if we ever meet again on friendly terms."** He was about done reminiscing when he suddenly got movement in the radar. Snapping into attention, Kai ready his cannons and beam rifle just as a Zaku came flying at him. As it was free falling, the Zaku fired its machine gun at him. The armor holding, Kai just aimed his cannons and fired. Unfortunately, the Zaku used its thrusted and moved out of the way in time.

"Guys! The enemy is here. I'm dealing with a Zaku! Got anything on your end!" Yelled Kai as he fought the Zaku, playing cat and mouse with it as it kept moving, preventing him from hitting it with his cannons.

"Yeah, the new mobile suit!" Yelled Amuro as he piloted the Gundam to avoid a strike from the Gouf's whip. Firing at it as it was retracting back to the suit's wrist, he managed to shoot off a few feet of whip's end, reducing its range. Firing back with its machine gun, the Gouf charged at the Gundam, who held its shield to block the shots. When the barrage ended, Amuro lowered the shield to see the Gouf swinging a heat sword at him. The Gundam tried to move away but the Gouf managed to slice the shield in half. Tossing the now worthless shield away, Amuro charged at the Gouf. Before the pilot could do anything, the Gundam got close enough to throw a punch to the cockpit. Fortunately the armor held, but only a little as a huge dent was created from the punch.

"What impressive power." Said Ramba Ral, amazed at the Gundam's sheer power. The dent nearly hit him and compromised some systems, but he was still able to pilot his Gouf, albeit with some difficulty. Blocking another punch from the Gundam, Ramba Ral brought the Gouf's knee to the Gundam's head, knocking it down. He then thrusted his sword to the cockpit, only for the Gundam to open fire with the machineguns on its head, forcing Ramba to stop and avoid the bullets lest they hit his main camera. Jumping out of the way, Ramba got ready as the Gundam got up and grabbed the rifle on its back. Tightening his hands on the controls, Ramba got ready as the Gundam fired. He dodged the first two shots by barely moving before charging in on the Gundam. Using his still functional computer, Ramba was able to predict the incoming shots before they could hit his mobile suit, but he knew he couldn't rely on it for long or else the AI and pilot will do something that the computer can't predict. After dodging the fifth shot, the Gouf jumped into the air and aimed its sword at the Gundam with one hand. The free hand, which was the one with the whip, fired said whip at the Gundam. Predicting where it would hit, Vega told Amuro via diagrams that the whip wouldn't hit them as it was too short. Nodding his head, Amuro readied himself as the Gouf came at them. Just as the Gouf was about to land a killing blow on the Gundam, Amuro dropped the beam rifle and grabbed a saber. As this was happening, the Gundam sidestepped out of the way, bringing its saber up to the Gouf. Shocked and impressed at the reaction time, Ramba had just enough time to make a course correction to both avoid the saber and to hit the Gundam. The saber managed to make a slice through the cockpit of the Gouf, but the Gouf's heated weapon did the same with the Gundam's cockpit, cutting through the Luna Titanium alloy, albeit with some difficulty.

Amuro yelled out in pain as some shrapnel managed to slice his right arm. Looking at it, Amuro realized he needed to get it patched up soon or else it'll get infected. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed an emergency bandage in the cockpit and quickly applied it to the wound. The wound throbbing, Amuro knew they had to end this fight now.

"Vega, we need to win now. My arm got hit with shrapnel from that last attack. Any ideas?" Asked Amuro, checking the systems for any damage. So far, it looked like it was only the front camera screen got hit, meaning he couldn't see with the main camera. Fortunately, the gapping hole in his cockpit left him with some visibility to the enemy opponent, who was now charging at them.

" **I'll dodge his swings. You do the killing blow."** Said Vega as he got ready for the Gouf. Amuro gritted his teeth as his wound throbbed, clouding his concentration a bit. When the Gouf swung its sword at the Gundam, Vega had the Gundam dodged the swing. At the same time Amuro, ignoring the pain in his arm, swung the saber at the Gouf's arms, cutting them off, making the Gouf essentially harmless. As he did so, he gasped when he saw who the pilot was. It was the Blue Giant, who was also shocked to see it was Amuro piloting the Gundam.

"You're…you're that kid from before." Said Ramba, shocked to see such a young kid piloting a mobile suit. He knew that there were kids his age in the military, heck Roher told him that Hepner was a reserve pilot for them along with another kid, but to see a teenager piloting the mobile suit that caused the death of Garma Zabi and defeat Char Aznable numerous times…well that shocked him. Amuro, meanwhile, just glared at Ramba Ral.

"So, he had someone tailing us, after all." Said Amuro. Shaking the shock off, Amuro swung the beam saber again but Ramba jumped away in time. Recovering from the shock, Ramba looked at the kid in sympathy.

" **Amuro, was it? It's a shame someone so young is in this war as a soldier."** Thought Ramba before opening his comms. He then began to speak through an open channel. Receiving a transmission, Vega patched it in to Amuro. Both were shocked to hear who it was.

"Amuro, right?" Said Ramba Ral, albeit with a lot of static due to the Minovsky particles in the air. "Sad thing to see someone so young in the military, much less piloting a mobile suit. You should be worrying about school or impressing a girl, not wondering if they'll live to see the next day or if that wound you got from battle will cripple or kill you. * **Sighs*** Sad thing. Anyway, let me give you some advice, just because your so young. You only won today because of your AI and your mobile suit. If we fought with machines that were technologically equal to each other, I would have won, and you'll just be another number for the list of deaths that this war caused. Learn to rely on just your skills alone or else the day will come that they won't save you by themselves." Amuro just scoffed at that, though his words hit him.

"You're just a sore loser." Said Amuro, trying to act tough. Ramba just scoffed before charging in with his Gouf again. Shocked to see he was still willing to fight, Amuro aimed his saber and thrusted it at the Gouf, hitting it in the main optic, before grabbing another saber and cutting the legs off the Gouf. Seeing the time to retreat is here, Ramba activated the Gouf's thrusters and flew past the Gundam and to the sands of the desert. Amuro was about to pursue when Vega registered an explosion. Remembering that Kai was fighting a Zaku, Amuro contacted him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Responded Kai as he looked around for more Zakus. "Just got my opponent. How's yours?"

"Managed to get my actually arm, but we're fine." Said Amuro, grabbing his arm. With his adrenaline gone, Amuro began to feel the pain emitting from his right arm. "Need to go to the doctor after this, get the shrapnel removed."

"Alright. Go and do that. I'll contact the White Base about it. So, get out of here and get that arm fixed." Said Kai, hiding the concern in his voice. Acknowledging Kai's words, Amuro piloted the Gundam to the White Base. As he did so, he thought about Ramba's words and their legitimacy.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Revil's Big Tray**

 **Eight hundred miles away from the first Zeon defense line of Odessa**

* * *

As Revil saw the positioning of the forces and the estimated times they'll be in position for the operation, he realized Elron's forces were behind schedule. Frowning to himself, he looked at Elron.

"Elron, your forces are two days behind of every other battlegroup. If you can't speed up your progress, our right flank will be exposed to an enemy counter attack." Said Revil, demanding an explanation. The other officers and generals looked at Elron, who simply flinched.

"I felt that cautious pace of my troops will save up forces for the impending operation. It wouldn't do to lose men just because we're reckless, Revil." Narrowing his eyes at his remark, Revil's suspicion of Elron rose from his statement. Elron had never cared about the lives of his men before so why did he now? Knowing he still needed prove that Elron was a saboteur, Revil just told him to speed up his progress or else he'll be replaced. Nodding his head at that, Elron promised that his men will be at their assigned position within a day. With that, Revil began the meeting for operation Odessa. The meeting went on for hours with the officers arguing on where to position their forces and what to expect from the Zeons, before Revil called it a day. Satisfied with their changed positions. As he left the war room, Selina came up to him.

"Sir, lieutenant Agar and Ensign Shiro Amada are ready to see you." Nodding his head, he thanked miss Agi before leaving for his office. When he opened the door, he was greeted with two young men saluting him.

"Ensign Shiro Amada, reporting sir." Said a man with dark blue hair and dark brown eyes.

"Lieutenant Agar, reporting sir as well." Said another man. This time with lighter but still dark blue hair and brown eyes.

"At ease." Said Revil as he took a seat and told them to take a seat as well. "I know that both of you are eager to attend Operation Odessa but I have a more important role for the both of you as well as your teams."

"Of course, sir, just send us to wherever you want us." Said Shiro, amazed that he was serving under general Revil. In all his time in the officer academy, he dreamed of working with Revil, one of the only generals that people actually wanted to serve under, aside from Tianem and Kowen. His care for his men and focus on avoiding as many casualties as possible was legend to many young officers. Agar nodded his head at that, ready to follow his orders as well.

"I appreciate the enthusiasm, gentleman, because you may need it along with great courage." Said Revil before taking a breath. "As you know, the White Base is somewhere in the behind enemy lines with no support from the rest of the Federation. I'd like to change that. Both of your teams are to move ahead of the main force, find the White Base, and give them any support they require until the operation is over." The two men eye's widen at that.

"But, sir! They've been doing fine on their own so far. They don't need our support and we're better off here!" Protested Agar, wanting to be on the frontlines. While he was impressed with their capabilities, he didn't want to go out to enemy lines, avoiding Zeon scum just to provide support for a ship that didn't need it. He wanted to be where the action is and take out as many as those Zeon scum as he can. Shiro had to agree. Though he wanted to help out the White Base as much as he can, he felt he and his team were better suited to the front lines with their Gundam mobile suits, especially with that protype weapon that came from Asia.

"I understand your concerns, you two, but ever since they've been here on Earth, they've only been getting supply drops from our supply corps. Never any support from military units. We need to show them that there are many in the Federation military that do care what happens to them and the common soldier. That's why I'm sending you two. Besides, there's actually a tactical advantage to doing this. With more units in the enemy's rear, they'll be in disarray and be forced to send troops to deal with them, thus leaving them weakened in the front. Not to mention the loss of morale at hearing that the legendary white mobile suit that has been causing havoc in their ranks is coming from behind, shooting them in the back while a barrage of enemy fire is hitting them at the front. That'll be even more effective with more guns coming from behind." The two looked at each other, seeing the logic. "This is strictly volunteer, gentleman. If you refuse, I understand. And as you said, the White base can handle it, like they've been doing ever since they landed on the planet." The two men were silent before Shiro got up.

"We'll do the mission, sir. The 08TH MS team will go and support the White Base." Sighing, Agar stood up as well, trusting Revil's plan.

"The 3rd mobile suit artillery team will also be attending this mission." Revil just nodding his head at that.

"Good. I thank you gentleman. You'll leave in four hours, prep your mobile suits and inform your teams of this mission. And just a warning, do not, under any circumstance, make contact with Elron's forces. If you have no choice, do not inform them of your mission. Just tell them your on a classified mission for me." The two officers just looked at Revil in confusion.

"Why is that, sir?" Asked Agar, wondering why he said that. He didn't like Elron, but he was a Federation general and the closets to the White Base, if the intel was correct. Revil just sighed.

"I have reason to believe the Elron is secretly working for the Zeon forces to undermine operation Odessa." The two officers widened their eyes at that. "Just before I came here, Elron tried to convince me to cancel the operation, citing it as too costly for the Federation and not worth the effort. Not only that, but he's delayed his forces purposely, I believe. They're behind schedule and Elron is hiding it with the excuse that he's being cautious with the lives of his men. Elron has never once cared about the common soldier before." The two officers nodded at that. Agar had the displeasure of meeting Elron and never before has Agar wanted to punch a superior before. The haughty general didn't care anything about the common soldier, and it made him mad. "Needless to say, I want don't him knowing in fear of the Zeons knowing it and sending troops to take you out. So please, don't make contact with any of his forces."

"We understand, sir." Said Shiro. "We'll be careful. Just a question though. Who will be in command?" Technically speaking, Agar outranked him and should be in command.

"Well, you are, Ensign. While Agar outranks you, he didn't attend the officer's academy like you, so your in charge of this mission until you reach the White Base. From there, you'll be under the command of its captain, Lieutenant junior Bright Noa." Agar, not liking that, protested.

"But sir, I actually have experience fighting in Earth. I should be in command!" Revil just shook his head at that.

"I would have pondered on it more, lieutenant, but your recent actions have left me concerned. Particularly the one where you left the command vehicle alone." Upon hearing that, Agar flinched, knowing that mission that Revil was referring to. Sometime ago, Agar, backing up an attack on a Zeon outpost, left the command vehicle alone to go chase a Zaku 1 with his Guncannon team, in which he lead them straight into an ambush, costing his teammates their lives. Agar only survived because he managed to take out the Zaku 1 and the two Magella tanks that ambushed him, in no small part from his AI. Not only that, because he left the command vehicle alone, a Zaku 2 managed to take it out, forcing the Federation troops to retreat. It was a tactical blunder and Agar received a demotion for it. Seeing Agar was silent, Revil continued. "Though Ensign Amada is relatively inexperienced, his scores in the officer's academy were good and his leadership skills are adequate. He'll make sure you and all of the people in this team make it out of this alive. And he won't take any unnecessary risks like you pulled then." Agar just nodded, clenching his fists, but willing to follow Revil's orders. "If that is all, you two may go." The two men then saluted and left, leaving the general alone. As they walked, Shiro spoke to Agar.

"I'll make sure we all get out of this, I promise." Said Shiro as Agar walked. When he didn't respond, Shiro spoke up. "Hey, don't be down about this, its just one mission. You don't have to be…" Agar then turned around and glared at Shiro, making him shut up.

"Just don't spare any Zekes you see and we'll be fine, alright. After all, that Zeke you spared may come back to kill you or another Federation soldier." Shiro just starred back at Agar in shock at what he said. "If you do that, we'll be golden." With that, Agar left, leaving Shiro alone.

* * *

 **For those wondering, the Midnight Fenrir is a special forces group that appeared prominently in the video game:Mobile suit Gundam: Zeonic Front and Agar as well as the main antagoinst (Of sorts as he only appears in four missions of the game's 13 missions.). Both will play prominent roles after Ramba (At least for now).**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 **RedRat8- Yes, like the Apsalus II and the Midnight Fenrir. Oh, and a Char with his newtype abilities.**

 **dragon lord syed- Only temporaily though. But the White Base will get a new Gundam soon.**

 **Thekiler7- Yes they are.**

* * *

 **White Base**

 **Hanger Bay**

* * *

"That heat sword did a number on the armor." Said Chan as she checked the new armor plating for the Gundam, they had to weld some Luna Titanium into the already placed armor to fix it. It was fine and should have no effect on the Gundam's armor performance, but Chan wanted to be safe. "Any ends on your end?" Vega began a scan of the Gundam's armor, not detecting any faults.

" **No faults. Its as good as new."** Said Vega. **"The Gundam is as good as ever. Amuro and I will be at one hundred percent efficient when we're deployed again."**

"Good to hear." Said Chan. "Its fortunate that his arm wasn't too damaged. Otherwise, we'll have to assign someone else to pilot the Gundam and I doubt they'll be able to coordinate with you as well as Amuro has." Vega had to agree there.

" **How is Amuro, by the way?"** Said Vega, curious about his partner.

"He's fine. The doctors say he'll be fine for active duty, but they warned that he'll need to be careful, lest the injury reopens itself. He's currently in his room. I'll check up on him later. Right now, I need to do some minor recalibrations to the Gundam's systems." With that, Chan went back to work.

* * *

 **Amuro's room**

* * *

"Is your arm alright, Amuro?" Asked Fraw as Amuro ate his breakfast. After he came back from his battle with Ramba Ral and upon seeing the wound on his arm, Fraw took some time to take care of him until it got better. Though Amuro didn't need it, she insisted on it.

"Its fine, Fraw." Said Amuro after finishing. "I'll be fine to go back in the Gundam." Fraw frowned at that, worrying for her friend and crush.

"That's not right. You should be recovering that arm. You shouldn't be out there fighting just yet. I'll have to talk with Mr. Bright about this." Before she could do so, Amuro stopped her. "Amuro!" Though touched with her care for him, Amuro couldn't allow her to tell Bright that he needed a break yet.

"Look, Fraw, I appreciate your concern, but I'm the only one that can pilot the Gundam as effectively. Vega can help out a new pilot, sure, but they won't be as experienced piloting it as I am. And with Ramba Ral out there, we're going to need that experience." Fraw just looked at him in confusion.

"You think that he'll come back?" Asked Fraw. She couldn't believe that Ramba Ral would come back after losing two mobile suit, including his personal one. Its been just a day since then, no way did he get new mobile suits yet.

"I don't doubt it." Said Amuro. "That man. He's the type of man that won't stop until his objective is complete, no matter what he has in his disposal. I'm sure of it." Fraw just sighed at that.

"I still feel like you shouldn't be out there fighting just yet. You did so much, its unfair that you don't get any sort of break in fighting." Amuro just nodded. Initially, back when they landed on Earth, Amuro was in agreement with her. It wasn't fair that everyone else, aside from Kai, Hayato, and Ryu didn't have to go out there and be in mobile suits, fighting for their lives and the ship. They all barely had enough time to get enough sleep and food. If it weren't for Chan or Vega being there for him when he needed it, he would have complained a long time ago to Bright. But now, a few months later, he saw now that its his duty to do so. To protect his loved ones and the crew.

"Life is just hard that way, Fraw Bow. It doesn't seem fair, but that's just life for you." Amuro said. Fraw just lowered her hand at that, knowing he was right. "Hey, if its alright with you, I'd like to go and check up on the Gundam. Is that alright?" She sighed upon hearing that.

" **You and that machine."** Thought Fraw Bow. "Alright, just don't do any strenuous work. We don't want that wound to open up again." Amuro just nodded and thanked her before leaving.

* * *

 **An hour later**

 **M'Quve's main base**

* * *

A blue haired man was examining a glass vase as his subordinate was giving him a request from Dozle Zabi. This man was M'Quve, commander of the Zeon forces in the Odessa region. Once his subordinate was finished, M'Quve looked at him.

"So, Dozle wants me to give Ramba Ral some of the new Dom mobile suits?" Asked M'Quve as he finished examining the vase. The vase, unlike those back in Side 3, was a genuine priceless vase from the 14th century. It was priceless and he had to pay a lot of money to get it. Lady Kycilia will love it.

"Yes sir. Shall I send the new units to Ramba Ral?" Asked the subordinate. M'Quve just frowned at that. On one hand, he saw the benefits of giving the Doms to Ramba Ral. The last reports regarding the Trojan Horse was that it was somewhere behind his lines, perhaps even near his own headquarters. If left unchecked, it'll potentially cause some disarray in his forces, something that he didn't want regarding the number of Federation troops he had to face. But on the other hand, he can't let Ramba Ral figure out what he's doing here. He knew the old warhorse. He'll most likely try and help defend Odessa if he succeeded in his mission. And with that, he'll very likely figure out something was off with the Odessa mining region and report to Dozle.

Even though the other Zabis knew that the Odessa region was a mining base that gave them much-needed material for the war effort, they didn't know how much was being mined and sent to the Granada base. Lady Kycilia, in a stroke of brilliance, had lied to her brothers and said that her forces were sending all the resources they mined in Odessa straight to Side 3, but in reality, only eighty percent was being sent. The rest was being sent to Granada in secret packages and shipments. With those extra resources, Lady Kycilia will be able to create additional ships and mobile suits to help with her plan to gain more power in the Principality of Zeon. Being a loyal subordinate of hers, M'Quve had no choice but to help in her endeavor. However, all that will go to waste if Ramba Ral figures out what's going on and report to Dozle. If he does, both Gihren and Dozle will send forces to investigate and surely figure out how many resources are actually being mined and shipped. That'll lead them to figure out the shipments to Granada and straight to Kycilia. That'll most definitely lead them to distrust Kycilia and place her under their watch until they can determine if she's not out for herself. Or worse, just plain call her a traitor and strip her of her command. Balancing out the two problems, seeing their cons and pros, M'Quve made his decision.

"Send only one Dom to Ramba Ral. Tell him that, because the Federation is making attacks on our first defense lines, I can't afford to give him much in the way of support without compromising our defenses as we need all the mobile suits and tanks we can get. As compensation for the two missing Doms, send him a worn out Zaku. It's only fair that we give him some form of compensation." His subordinate saluted before leaving. With that done, M'Quve flicked the vase, loving the sound it made.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Behind Zeon lines**

 **08th MS Team**

* * *

"Eledore, can you make contact with the White base?" Asked Shiro as the 08th MS and the 3rd mobile suit artillery team were making their way behind enemy lines to meet up with the White Base. Petty officer Eledore Massis, the comm officer for the 08th MS team, just nodded.

"Yeah. They're saying we should meet up in these coordinates, sending them now." Once Shiro and the others got the coordinates, he thanked Massis before telling everyone else to move ahead. With the pace they're going, they should be linking up with them within two days, provided they don't encounter any enemy resistance. As they're moving forward, Chief Petty Officer Terry Sanders Junior, one of Shiro's teammates, spoke up.

"Those guys in the White Base must be really good if they've survived this long with just supply drops." Said Terry, impressed with their record. He'd heard about them and was impressed. Only the most hardened of soldiers and survivors can do what they did with no casualties. The final member of the team, Karen Joshua, just scoffed.

"Or maybe they're just lucky." Said Karen. Though she was impressed with their records so far, especially since they went against the Red Comet and survived, she believed that was due to luck or the technology of the White Base and its mobile suits, which were the most advanced of all the Federation's mobile suits, even more so then the Gundam ground type, which was made out of spare parts from the V project. "I'm telling you, they'll lose people soon. I can feel it." Before Shiro could comment, Agar spoke up.

"Cut the chatter, all of you. We got a job to help out the White Base. Not talk about their achievements. So, keep your mouths shut." Said Agar before cutting comms and moving ahead in his Guncannon. Karen just sneered at the Agar.

"Asshole." Said Karen. She only just meets the guy a day ago and she already hated his guts. The guy only cared about killing Zekes and that's it. She may have signed up to avenge her husband, but she didn't want to kill Zeons just because their Zeons, like Agar.

"You said it." Said Terry, not liking Agar's attitude either. He read the report regarding Agar's botched up mission and it left him shaking his head in disproval. If he wasn't so engrossed in taking out that Zaku I, the Federation would have had that base by now. Instead he got his whole team killed and a lot of good officers as well. He may have had a reputation of getting his team killed before being assigned to the 08th MS team, but at least he didn't do stupid decisions like Agar did. Shiro would have commented on it as well when his AI spoke up.

" **Ensign Amada, incoming Zeon convoy.** " Said his AI that goes by the name of Kled. Upon hearing that, he told everyone that a Zeon convoy was approaching and to hide. With that, the six mobile suits and one truck began to hide via rocks big enough for them. Once they were hidden, Massis deployed the trucks sonar equipment and began to hear for incoming enemy vehicles. Due to his excellent hearing, Massis was given the role of detecting enemy locations when the sonar equipment was deployed. Something that he did to great effect. With Minovsky particles jamming things like radar or similar communication and detection equipment that relies on low-frequency radiation, sonar and laser pulses were used for detection and communication while combatants were in areas saturated with the particles. Although there was a defense for Minovsky particles, it was only in the form of expensive and bulky shielding for the electronic equipment, making it only feasible for warships like the White Base or Salamis cruiser, and not for a truck like the type-74 hover truck or just having a powerful enough communication equipment.

The type-74 was designed to compensate for Minovsky particles, the truck was given a sonar suite to help detect incoming enemy units as well as a powerful communication suite that can penetrate low-level Minovsky particle levels. Perfect for a support role for mobile suits and other forces. As Massis was trying to hear the enemy, Keld spoke up.

" **Enemy is approaching from the west, only five contacts."** Upon hearing that, Massis just spluttered indignantly at that. He soon heard five contacts coming from the west, just like Kled said. Clenching his fists, Massis confirmed that Kled was right. With that he punched a wall next to him. His assistant, Petty officer Michel Ninorich, gave him a smile of sympathy at that.

When Shiro came to lead the 08th MS team, he brought with him Kled, who was given to the young officer straight from the officer's academy. Since day one, Massis had a rivalry with Kled. This was because Kled, well, did his job for the team. Giving them important enemy info, using the sonar equipment on the Shiro's gundam, which was modified to use such equipment, and did even more like helping Shiro with accuracy and reduce maintenance time on the Gundams, something that made a lot of the engineers in the Kojima battalion happy. More than once, Massis was beaten by Kled because the AI was just plain faster than him in processing data, triangulating enemy positions and their trajectory, and giving it to the pilots. It hurt his pride and made him feel useless. Though Shiro said he was still a valued member of the team, he didn't feel like it.

"Damn program. Beat me again." Said Massis, brooding over it. Michel just sighed before going back to monitoring their teammates, who were getting into position. Shiro, aiming his beam rifle at the projected path the enemy was taking, spoke to Kled again, wondering what the enemy is.

" **Speed suggest trucks, ensign. With two tank escorts.** **It's likely a convoy transporting mined resources from a Zeon mining outpost."**

"It could be." Said Michel. "Based on the coordinates they gave us; the White Base is near some mining outposts. We'll have to be careful on avoiding these, otherwise when we get there, we'll be low on ammo and be essentially useless." Agreeing with Michel, Kled gave his opinion.

" **I agree with petty officer Ninorich, our mission is to support the White Base. We cannot to afford to waste time with engaging this convoy and any other Zeon forces."** Agreeing with both of them, Shiro was about to tell everyone to let them go when Agar yelled out.

"No way!" Yelled Agar. "We can't just let them go. We can ambush them and take them all out with only a few shots!"His AI, that goes by the name of Scourge, spoke in support.

" **Estimated rounds needed to eliminate the convoy is only four shots from the Guncannon's shoulder guns. They're loaded up with high explosive shells. With the enemy unaware of our presence, we just need to fire twice and the enemy is gone."** Kled, seeing the logic, went against it, however.

" **Negative. Even if we take them out with minimal lost of ammunition, that'll only put the enemy on high alert. Something that neither us or the White Base can afford."** As both AIs were duking it out, Shiro thought of how different they were, in terms of programing. Though both were machines, they were completely different in how they thought. In his time with Kled, Shiro learned that Kled saw the bigger picture, not going for the glory and doing whatever he can to make sure that the 08th MS team and the Kojima battalion, in a lesser extent, got out of their missions alive and with minimal casualties. When they faced that large protype weapon, Kled was still amazed at how they all survived when his calculations said that at least one of them should have died. And to this day, he was still trying to figure out how they all lived, something that somewhat amused Shiro as the things he pulled during his partnership with Keld left AI still processing how Shiro is still alive. Like how when he pulled that stunt with the guerillas to take a Zeon position, the AI was against it but ultimately agreed to do so, having no way to convince him to not do so. The AI, when they harassed Shiro, fought back against the guerillas and nearly killed them when Shiro ordered him to back off. Having no ability to disobey orders, the AI did so and let the guerillas do what they please. His care and want to protect the 08th MS team was something that Shiro appreciated and the two get along well, having each other's back. Karen and Terry also got along with it well, finding the program a valuable teammate.

Scourge, on the other hand, seemed to only care about inflicting as much damage on the Zeons, something that Agar was fine with. The fact that Scourge didn't see that they'll be alerting the enemy to their presence, seemed to be in line with the machine. Having enough of this, Shiro ordered them to stop.

"Enough you two. We're leaving the convoy alone. Once it passes, we'll be leaving to go assist the White Base. Am I understood?" When he didn't get an answer from Agar, he spoke again.

"Fine!" Yelled Agar, clenching his controls. Sighing to himself, Shiro waited as the convoy appeared. Like Keld said, it was just three trucks, likely carrying minerals, and two tanks escorting them. Just as they were about to pass, they suddenly stopped. Hitching his breath, Shiro asked Kled to figure out what's going on. Using the main camera, Kled spotted two soldiers getting out of a truck and inspecting it.

" **Likely one of them suffered a problem. They should have it fixed soon. Nothing to be concerned about."** Nodding his head, Shiro relaxed as Kled was keeping an eye on the convoy, looking for any change in their behavior. A few minutes passed, before the convoy moved and was out of their way. With that away, Shiro ordered everyone to move in a few more minutes. Just enough time for Agar to yelled at him again.

"God damnit! I told you not to leave any Zeke alive!" Yelled Agar, turning his Guncannon to Shiro's Gundam. "Those soldiers may come back to kill us or any other Federation soldier! Do you want that on your conscious!? Knowing that your responsible for the death of a human being by not killing that soldier you spared?!" Upon hearing that, Shiro glared at Agar's mobile suit. Turning to face it, the Gundam ground type walked up and challenged the Guncannon, who stood its ground.

"Is that all you think of the Zeons, lieutenant!?" Demanded Shiro. "Just monsters that need to be exterminated!?" Shiro couldn't believe that Agar had this level of thinking. He thought Agar just wanted the war to end and to keep his men alive, but it seems that Agar thought that the Zeons were all just pests that need to be eliminated.

"Shouldn't you too?" Asked Agar, glaring at Shiro's Gundam. "They used G3 gas on your colony, right?" Hearing that, made Shiro flinched. He remembered that day with despair and regret. During the beginning of the war, the Zeon forces used G3 gas on his home colony in Side 2. The gas killed everyone he ever knew and loved. He only survived because he was wearing an environmentally sealed suit. As he watched his fellow colonists die and even witnessed one dying in front of him, it left him with a hatred for the Zeons and all they stood for. So much so, that he joined the officer's academy to lead a group of soldiers against the Zeons and to make them pay. Once he graduated, he was given Kled and the two were assigned to lead the 08th MS team. On their way to Earth, Kled spoke to Shiro via a computer. He asked why Shiro attended the officer's academy and why he fought. With nothing else to do, Shiro told his life story of why he joined. Upon hearing it, Kled gave his sympathy and promised to keep him and his team alive so that he won't have to endure something like that again. Shocked, Shiro smiled at the AI and said thank you. Unfortunately, by that time, the transport they were on received an urgent transmission from a GM unit under attack, requesting assistance. Not willing to let a Federation soldier die while he can do something, Shiro took the transports only Ball mobile pod and took off with Kled, installing him as they were taking off.

By the time they were there, only one GM survived and was fighting a losing battle with a retrofitted Zaku II. Wasting no time, the two engaged the Zaku, forcing it to engage them and leave the GM alone. The two machines then engaged in a cat and mouse game near a wreck Magellan battleship with Kled trying his best to figure out the Ball's limitations. Once he did, the two made a battle strategy. Firing a few rounds at a lone missile, floating in space, the two distracted the Zaku long enough for them to grabble it with the Ball's grapping hook. As they were aiming their weapons at the Zaku, it tried to damage them with its heat hawk. Grabbing the arm with the axe, Shiro told Kled to take the shot, which it did, firing multiple shots into the Zaku's head. Unfortunately, just as they destroyed the Zaku's head, the arm with the heat hawk was freed and it sliced down at the Ball's top guns, destroying it. With both machines heavily damaged, both pilots got out with Shiro going last because he wasn't going to let Kled be destroyed. After narrowly escaping the explosion of the two machines, Shiro pursued the enemy pilot into the sunk battleship.

Once there, he installed Kled into a section of the ship that still had power. Though he couldn't control much, Kled tried to locate the enemy pilot and to get them help. With that, Shiro began his own search of the enemy pilot. Eventually, he caught them and engaged in a firefight with them. Soon, once they're out of bullets, did Shiro figure out the enemy pilot was a woman. He was about to finish her off when he saw that he wounded her and that she was scared under those defiant eyes of hers. Knowing it wasn't right and that it wouldn't matter if he killed her or not, Shiro ended up aiding her and helped bandage her wound. It was at that time, the two decided to work together to get out of here as neither had a way to contact their allies. Fortunately for them, Kled was able to devise a plan to get help. Telling them to get portable radios and stripped them for batteries and parts, he told them he might be able to power the communications section of the ship just long enough to send a transmission of help. If that didn't work, they can rig the ship to blow up, getting someone that was close enough to come looking for what caused it. During this time, the two pilots began to bond. The woman found Shiro's naivety and enthusiasm amusing and Shiro found her to be quite a good person. Far different than what he thought of people from Zeon. The two also bonded over their respective fears of being left behind by their allies. Kled, caring for Shiro, told them not to worry and that he'll do what he can to save them both, even if it meant destroying himself. Shocked at this, both pilots just thanked the AI, which it responded by saying it was its programming. It then launched a transmission in an open channel, hoping that someone would come for them. As they waited, the three began to speak with one another. Kled speaking through a cracked console and seeing them with a damaged camera that Shiro brought along so he can see them.

It was here that Shiro learned that Kled had an interest in philosophy. Ever since his creation, Kled was always interested in human philosophy, finding it all interesting and how it can be used to help solve some commonly asked questions. It was also here that Shiro found the woman liked philosophy as well and often spoke to the AI about differing philosophical ways of thinking, something that the AI engrossed and listened to the woman intently, bonding with her as well, liking that she wasn't bias to a single philosophical view and was fair to many aside from a few darker ones. It was probably because of this that Shiro began to see Zeon in a different light. That they aren't the monsters he made them out to be.

When he asked her what she thought of the gassing of colonies, the woman let a sad expression don her face as well as one of anger. She said that the Zabi's were evil and that they had no right to gas their fellow spacenoids. If it weren't for her family and her love of her nation, she would have left Side 3 in disgust for their actions. She also said that it was because of those actions that the other sides fear and hate them, making them ultimately lose the war as she believed that, even if they win, the other sides will treat them with distaste and fear, which will lead to possible another war. Shiro, shocked to hear this, said that she was probably right and that people like her are suffering because of the Zabis. Saying she appreciated his thoughts, the two would have talked more when a damaged GM and two Zakus came at the battleship. Knowing their time was up, the two exchanged their names and left for their sides. Once the woman left and he was back in the transport ship, did Shiro realize he still had her pocket watch. She gave it to him once he realized his wrist watch was broken. With no way to return it to her, Shiro kept it as a keepsake for the woman, now known as Aina Sahalin, and how she changed his opinion of people from Zeon. So, to hear Agar saying that all people from Zeon are monsters, it made him made. As it spit in the face of the Aina and what she taught him and Kled.

"I do hate the Zeons for what they did to my home, lieutenant." Growled Shiro, glaring at the Guncannon. "But I won't let that hatred consume me and prevent me from seeing the bigger picture. Our objective is to first get to the White Base and to support them. After that, we'll go out and take out the Zeons. Not before. Is that clear?" Agar just growled before backing down.

"Crystal, ensign." Satisfied, Shiro backed down and ordered everyone to follow him. As everyone walked, Shiro brought out Aina's pocket watch.

" **I miss her too, Shiro."** Said Kled, seeing the watch via an internal camera. Shiro nodded in agreement before putting it back. **"Don't let what Agar told you get to you. He hasn't acquired the learning experiences you did when you meet Aina."**

"I know, but that doesn't mean I can't be mad at his short-sighted ways. I'm glad that Revil made me in charge. We all will probably be dead if he was in charge."

" **There is an eighty percent chance of that happening due to his hatred of Zeons, and that is being generous. Him and Scourge are too hot headed to lead us. I will keep an eye on them."** Shiro nodded in thanks as the group marched on.

* * *

 **A few hours later**

* * *

Ramba was humming to himself as he waited for the transport ship to arrive with his promised Doms. After requesting additional support, Dozle Zabi promised him that M'Quve will send some of the new mass produced Doms to help him out. With those units, Ramba was certain that he'll be able to defeat the Trojan Horse and capture it. It was only a few minutes until he saw a Fat Uncle cargo plane approaching them. Smiling to himself, the man walked to where his men designated the Fat Uncle to land. Once the transport landed, it opened up to reveal one Dom mobile suit and an old Zaku 2. Upon seeing just those two mobile suits, Ramba frowned. As the mobile suits made their way out of the plane, one of the plane's crew walked to Ramba Ral.

"I'm very sorry to report that we're only able to send one Dom and Zaku mobile suits, sir." Said the man, shocking Ramba.

"I was told that I'll be getting three Doms. Why am I getting only one unit and a worn out Zaku?" The soldier just looked ashamed before explaining.

"As much as I hate to say it, the Federation is beginning to launch attacks on our defense lines. They're minor but M'Quve can't afford to take chances. Much as he wants to send more units, I'm afraid this is all he can spare at the moment. I apologize." Ramba just hummed to himself at that. Though he didn't trust M'Quve, he knew that the man did care about Zeon and its wellbeing. Sabotaging his own mission would be going against that. Plus, he knew that he couldn't rely much on M'Quve's help, the Federation was making stride on gaining Odessa after all.

"That's quite alright, son. I'm used to this sort of thing. Give M'Quve my thanks for providing what he could for my mission. I'll handle the rest from here."

"Sir." Said the man before ordering the transport to leave. Once it took off, Hamon looked at Ramba in concern.

"Are you certain we can handle this operation with just two mobile suits?" Asked Hamon, concern in her voice. Ramba just nodded.

"Of course. With superior tactics, anyone can win against a technologically superior foe. We just need to plan carefully. And I have an idea that might work." With that Ramba went back to the Gallop battleship he was given to inform his officers of the plan.

* * *

 **The next day**

 **Amuro's room.**

* * *

Amuro was looking up at the ceiling of his room, deep in thought. Much as wanted to avoid them, Ramba's words kept playing over and over in his head.

" **You only won today because of your AI and your mobile suit. If we fought with machines that were technologically equal to each other, I would have won, and you'll just be another number for the list of deaths that this war caused. Learn to rely on just your skills alone or else the day will come that they won't save you by themselves."** Those words kept playing over and over in his head until he couldn't focus on doing maintenance work on his mobile suit. Chan and Vega, worried for him, told him to go to his room to figure it out while they do the work on the Gundam. Though he tried to argue back, saying he didn't need it, the two were adamant in it and Amuro was forced to his room. With nothing to distract him, the words came to him, making him ponder if Ramba was right after all.

When he thought about it more, the more what Ramba said made sense. During his battles, he always relies on the Gundam's armor and weapons as well as Vega to win the day. He never had to test his skills or anything because his enemies couldn't really do much against him when he was in the Gundam. But when he faced off against something like Char or those new mobile suits at that Zeon base, he was finally tested, and it was obvious his skills as a pilot were lacking. While he was certainly improving, it was still a long ways to ago, evidenced on his fight with those new mobile suits. Even with Vega, they struggled to beat the mobile suits and Kai almost lost his life that day. So, did Ryu and Hayato when that ship hit their mobile suit. If he was just better, he could have prevented those events from happening.

" **Ramba Ral was right."** Thought Amuro. " **I need to be a better pilot and soon."** Before he could think up ways to improve his piloting skills quicker, he got a call from the bridge. Answering, Amuro asked what's the situation.

"We're under attack." Warned Sayla. "Get into your mobile suit, Amuro. The enemy is approaching."

"Understood!" With that, he rushed out the door and to the hangers. As he ran, he could only think of one thing.

" **It has to be Ramba Ral. No doubt on it."** Thought Amuro as he ran. **"This time, we're finishing our fight, old man."**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **RedRat8- Yes, I hope I did it justice. (Probably not because I suck in fight scenes.) They'll fight with the Midnight Fenrir the next chapter.**

 **Thekiller7- I suppose it did. And the interactions are just a prelude to what will come when the One Year War ends. What that entails, we'll see when we get to that.**

* * *

 **White Base bridge**

* * *

"What's going on!?" Demanded Bright as he looked at the Operators. Just a few seconds ago, they've been cruising in the Odessa region in peace, trying to link up with their assigned support teams, when suddenly they've been hit with a barrage of fire.

"We're looking into it now sir!" Yelled Marker as he and Oscar tried to find the anomaly. Eventually, they found it in a form of a Gallop land battleship. "Enemy battleship right at the front sir!" With a target in sight, Bright ordered the Gallop to be destroyed while also ordering their mobile suits to be on standby. As the White Base returned fire, they were suddenly hit from the starboard and port side. Just as everyone recovered, Marker saw that three enemy mobile suits had surrounded them. "Sir, we got two Zaku and an unknown enemy mobile suit hitting us from the port and starboard sides!" After enduring another hit from the mobile suits, Bright ordered that their own mobile suits counter attack.

"Get Gundam to deal with the new model! Guncannon and Guntank will handle the Zakus! We'll deal with the Gallop in the meantime!" As everyone scrambled to notify the pilots and the engineers, Bright thought to himself.

 **"Ramba Ral. He's as tenacious and resourceful as Char."** Thought Bright as he began to give orders for the guncrews.

* * *

 **Hanger Bay**

* * *

"Guntank launching!" Yelled Ryu as the Guntank got out of the White Base and landed safely on the ground. Once landed, it began to make its way to the Guncannon, which was already fighting the two Zakus. "What's the situation Kai?" As the Guntank opened fire, Kai responded.

"Damn Zekes managed to get the jump on us, that's what!" Yelled Kai as he fired back at the Zakus, only for them to dodge and return fire. "Amuro dealing with some new model, leaving us with the sloppy seconds!"

"Cut that out, Kai! Zakus aren't any joke if we leave them alone!" Ryu then talked to Hayato. "Hayato, keep good suppressing fire on those Zakus. Kai, you go and try to get the jump on them. Or at the very least, fire at them in another angle!"

"Whatever! Just don't hit me!" Kai then began to move somewhere away, firing on the enemy as he did so. The Zakus just stood firm as they fired back, dodging any attacks that would have hit. Meanwhile, the Gundam was looking for the new enemy mobile suit. Despite not being confirmed, Amuro knew that it was Ramba Ral in the new mobile suit.

 **"Where is he?"** Thought Amuro as he looked around with Vega providing extra eyes. He knew that the attacks from the portside were from the Zakus so the new enemy mobile suit had to be here. So where is it. He got his answer when Vega suddenly slid forward, causing a rocket to miss them. Looking to where the missile came from, Amuro saw the new enemy mobile suit. To his surprise, it looked similar to the mobile suit with the plus-shaped head back at the Zeon base, except a lot bulkier and had a gun attached to its chest. **"This must be an improved model of that mobile suit. Or even a mass-produced variant."** Remembering how he struggled against that suit, Amuro prepared himself as he figured this suit had similar speed to that other one, if not faster. Just as he was about to fire, he received an open transmission. Unsurprisingly, it was Ramba Ral.

"I hope it's you there, Amuro." Said Ramba Ral through his mobile suit's speakers. "Cause I got a lot to teach you if you're going to survive this war." Gritting his teeth, Amuro ignored the old man's words before firing the beam rifle. Scoffing at Amuro's attitude, Ramba easily dodged the attack and fired back with his bazooka. Dodging the rocket, the Gundam jumped into the air and fired three shots at the Dom, who dodged all with ease before jumping to the air and then, using his thrusters, went to his right to dodge to more shots.

"You're not going to win with tactics like those! Come on! Impress me!" Yelled Ramba Ral before charging at the Gundam once both hit the ground. Firing his bazooka again, Ramba used his superior speed to encircle the Gundam and fire at the Gundam when its back his turned to him. Amuro, who was coordinating with Vega to destroy the rockets before they hit, began to formulate an attack strategy.

 **"Hope this works."** Thought Amuro before tossing his shield at the Dom when it was about to take another shot. Ramba just dodged the shield and side stepped when the Gundam tried to stab the Dom with its beam saber. Bringing out his heat saber, Ramba was about to slash down when the Gundam quickly brought out its other beam saber and attempted to stab the Dom, only for Ramba to jump out of the way. As he was moving away, Ramba fired the lost round in his bazooka. The rocket hit the Gundam in the back left leg, but the armor held. Shaking his head, Ramba talked with Amuro again.

"You're still relying on that AI and the Gundam, boy! Stop relying on them and fight your own battles!" Yelled Ramba as he put his saber away to reload his bazooka. "When are you going to learn that you need to rely on just your instincts and not on technology!? They'll fail you someday and you'll pay the price with your life!"

"Just because I have a reliable compatriot helping me fight my battles, doesn't make me weak!" Yelled Amuro as he retrieved his beam rifle. He fired at the Dom again, who dodged the shots again.

"No, it doesn't." Agreed Ramba Ral, firing two shots at the Gundam again. "But there's a difference between reliance and overreliance. And you're over relying on both your AI and your mobile suit's capabilities!" He then charged again at the Gundam, bringing out his saber again. This time, though, he used the beam gun on the Dom's chest as he made his way to the Gundam. Despite being a beam weapon, the focusing coils installed on the Dom's chest gun weren't strong enough to create a reliable weapon. Instead, all the beam gun can do is just create a blinding light that can temporarily blind an opponent. Making it essentially useless to most pilots except for a handful. And, unfortunately for Amuro, Ramba was in the latter.

Being temporarily blinded by the Dom's beam gun, Amuro couldn't see the Dom coming at them with its saber at the ready. Vega, however, was and jumped the Gundam over the Dom. Just as they passed over the Dom, the Gundam kicked it in the back of its head, causing it to topple over. Rubbing his eyes to get ride of the stars in his vision, Amuro looked back at the Dom, ready to fight again.

"You see that, kid. If it weren't for that AI, you'd be dead from that easy to dodge attack." Said Ramba as the Dom got back up. "If you were a skilled pilot or relied on your instincts, you would have been able to save yourself from that, without relying on that program. Instead, you relied on it to save your life. That AI is more a hindrance to you than being helpful." Amuro just clenched his controls at that. He couldn't allow Ramba's words to influence him now, not when there's a battle going on. "And it looks like I'm the one that'll have to make you see that!" With that the Dom engaged the Gundam again, the pilot ready to teach Amuro an important lesson.

Meanwhile, Kai was engaging the Zaku F2 while the Guntank was engaging the older Zaku. Firing his beam rifle at the Zaku, which moved before the shot fired, Kai followed up with the shoulder guns. The Zaku used its thrusters to move out of the way before jumping toward the Guncannon, knowing it was weak in close combat. Bringing out its heat hawk, the Zaku landed its feet on the Guncannon's chest, bringing both to the ground, and brought its heat hawk down on the Guncannon's head. As the Zaku dug deeper into the Guncannon's head, Kai fought back and managed to aim his shoulder guns at the Zaku's own head. Firing, it obliterated the head, but the pilot refused to go down. Dislodging the heat hawk, the pilot was about to bring it down again when Kai activated his thrusters, which managed to send him away from the Zaku, which fell to the ground as the Guncannon left. Aiming his beam rifle, Kai fired and the shot hit the Zaku's chest, destroying it. After enduring the resulting explosion, Kai began to walk over to the Guntank, knowing it needed assistance.

"I'm on my way guys! Hold tight!" Yelled Kai as he approached the Guntank and its opponent. Even though he didn't get anything from the comms, Kai knew that they're still fighting based on the sounds of Zaku machinegun fire as well as the Guntank's mains guns still firing. Within a minute, Kai managed to arrive in time to see the Zaku firing a missile to the Guntank's treads, immobilizing it, before bringing out its heat hawk and charging. No time to waste, Kai opened fire at the Zaku. The pilot, noticing at the last minute of the Guncannon's approach, stopped and backed off. Alone and outnumbered, the Zaku retreated. Firing back at the retreating Zaku, he contacted Ryu and Hayato.

"You guys alright!" Asked Kai as he stopped to look at the Guntank. Other than the treads, the Guntank seemed fine.

"Treads are gone. We're stuck here." Said Ryu, checking the systems for any other problems. "Best we return to the White Base. We'll just be dead weight." With that, Ryu contacted the White Base and asked to return back for repairs. After getting acknowledgment, the Guntank flew back up to the White Base, in spite of the fire coming from the Gallop. Seeing the Guntank, returned safely, Kai went to pursue the Zaku, who was notifying Ramba of the other's destruction.

 **"Cozun."** Thought Ramba solemnly as he thought of his comrade before getting back to the task at hand. "Deal with the other mobile suits as best you can. Its time to initiate the next phase." With that he contacted Hamon. "Hamon. Tell the Cuis to move in! We'll distract them as best we can." After being told she'll notify them immediately, Ramba went back to focusing on the Gundam, who was holding its beam saber, now out of ammo for its rifle. Both out of ammo for their weapons and forced to use their sabers, Ramba went back to taunting Amuro, both to teach him a lesson as well as hoping that it'll cause him to make a mistake.

"Kid, if you haven't heard, one of your friends just took out one of my Zakus. That was done without an AI, I believe." He knew this because neither the Guntank nor Guncannon seemed to react as inhumanely nor analytically as the Gundam did when Vega took over. "That there. That's a true pilot at work. Not you. If you want to survive this war, you need to be like them. Rely on just yourself and your own skills. Not the advice or processing power of a computer program. Its best to just ditch that thing and send it back for something worthwhile, like dishwashing or communications." Amuro just gritted his teeth at that. He may be willing to accept insults to his skills, but he won't stand insults to his friends and compatriots. Detecting increasing amounts of rage, Vega tried to speak to Amuro.

 **"It's okay, Amuro. I'm not offended by what he says. Not that I can't be."** Said Vega as he kept an eye on the Dom. **"He's simply taunting you to get you to lower your guard and make a mistake. That way, it'll be easier for him to beat you."** Upon hearing Vega's advise, Amuro realized what Ramba is doing. Still upset at what Ramba Ral said, Amuro nevertheless took a deep breath. After exhaling, Amuro looked at the Dom, waiting for it to move.

"Nice try, Ramba, but I'm not going to fall for it." Thought Amuro as he looked around the environment for something to use to his advantage. As he looked around, he noticed something out in the distance. Too faraway to see with his eyes, Amuro used the scope inside the Gundam to get a closer look to what he saw. Vega, meanwhile, was watching Ramba Ral, waiting for him to make a move. Using the scope, Amuro saw two open-topped tanks coming at the White Base's rear. Their only armaments were a machinegun at the tower in the middle of the vehicle and there was little to no armor to it. It's shape was more like a line, actually, making it a very strange vehicle. Knowing that Bright had to be notified, Amuro ordered Vega to tell while he engaged Ramba. As the program did so, Amuro looked back at Ramba, deciding to talk to him back. If anything, it'll prevent him from learning that Amuro discovered the enemy tanks.

"What's wrong with having an AI to help me out. If it weren't for Vega, I would have died fighting Char. He's been there through my toughest moments in the battlefield, helping me survive and providing reassurance when others couldn't do so. He's endured an outburst of mine and doesn't hold a grudge. And he's been helping me and our engineers with reducing this machine's maintenance time. He's been an invaluable comrade to me, and this ship and I won't tolerate you saying he's a weakness of mine." Ramba, shocked to hear this, processed this information for a few seconds before chuckling.

"Kids these days." Said Ramba, shaking his head. "They're just so strange and weird to me. But that's life for you. Every generation is different." He then talked to Amuro. "Well, if you're so insistent that your AI isn't a weakness of yours, then prove it to me by fighting me without it." Amuro just narrowed his eyes at that.

"I got nothing to prove to you! I don't need to earn your approval or anything." Ramba just nodded at that, knowing he was right.

"You'll have to, though, while he's busy contacting your ship about my tanks coming in from the rear." Shocked to hear that, Amuro was about to say something when Ramba charged in, using the Dom's chest to blind Amuro again. Seeing him use this tactic again, Amuro shielded his eyes this time and boasted to the right, dodging the saber's thrust to the cockpit. Engaging Ramba again, the two machines duked it out. Meanwhile, Vega had just finished contacting the bridge about two unidentified tanks coming from the White Base's rear.

"Understood. Good work at detecting them. Now get back to helping Amuro." Said Sayla before disconnecting with Vega. She then turned to Bright and told him about the situation. "Sir, enemy tanks approaching from the rear."

"What!?" Demanded Bright. "Operators! Get me a visual on the rear!" Soon a video screen showcasing the rear of the ship showed up in front of Bright. He soon spotted two enemy tanks approaching them. "Operators, get me info on those tanks." The two just nodded before searching the database on al known Zeon land vehicles.

"Got it, sir." Said Marker as he brought up the data. "They're called Cui light tanks. Mainly used by commando teams for boarding enemy ships or for light garrison duty." Upon hearing that, Bright figured out the enemies' strategy. By distracting them with the Gallop and their own mobile suits, they'll be too busy dealing with them to notice an enemy boarding action via small ground tanks. Swearing under his breath at this brilliant maneuver, Bright ordered all machineguns to retract and to prepare for hand to hand combat.

"Carmine, get your men to the rear of the ship and stop those commandoes from going to the engine room or the bridge. Leave two men here to guard the bridge." The sergeant just saluted before taking off to inform his men. "Sayla! Tell everyone to grab a gun in case the enemy is near their location as well as telling them to try and stop any enemy soldiers from attacking vital areas of the ship!" Sayla just nodded before alerting the whole crew of the situation. With that done, Bright looked at the Gallop taking potshots at them with their machineguns.

 **"No wonder they haven't used their main gun."** Thought Bright as he saw his ship return fire. **"They want to take this ship completely intact. I won't let them happen. Not on my watch."**

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Hanger Bay**

* * *

" All crew members, enemy boarding teams will be commencing boarding actions soon! Grab a weapon and defend the ship to the best of your abilities! Attention, enemy soldiers will be boarding us soon! Grab a weapon and defend the ship to the best of your abilities! Attention, enemy…" As Sayla repeated the same sentences again and again, Chan looked at the Guntank, biting her lips in worry. She'd never thought she'd engage in a gun battle with the Zeons. She was just a cadet engineer tasked with maintaining mobile suits and other hardware. She may have been given basic firearms training, but she never thought she'd had to use it so soon. She then looked at her hands and saw them shaking. She then pressed them together, formed them into a ball, and squeezed to stop the shaking. Alas, it didn't stop.

 **"Damnit."** Thought Chan as she looked at her shaking hands. **"Just stop shaking."** She was about to try another method when Al came up to her, frightening her when he grabbed her shoulder, making her jump. Upon seeing Al, she glared at him. "Don't do that again. You scared me."

"I can see." Said Al as he watched her shaking hands. "I know you weren't prepared to do this kind of thing yet, but you need to be strong." He then gave her a pistol and helped her hold it correctly. Even though her hands continued to shake, Al helped her aim it down correctly and how to hold it right. "We're lucky the safety is on and there's no magazine, otherwise you would have shot someone with your shaking." Looking down in shame, Chan dropped the gun and held herself.

"I can't do this, Al. I'm just an engineer. A cadet at that. I don't think I'm ready to do this kind of thing yet." Little time until the Zeon soldiers come, Al grabbed her shoulders and made her look him in the eyes.

"Look, I get you're scared. I completely get that, but right now, you need to be brave and fight. The Zeons won't hold back when they get here, and neither should you. If you don't and they find you, they'll shoot you without a second thought. Because that's what soldiers do, commit to killing the enemy, no matter how old they are, without hesitation. So, please steel your nerves and help fight back. Otherwise, some people may die because you refused to help." Gasping, Chan looked at Al and saw her was completely serious. Before she could say anything, they heard the alarm go off.

"Enemy troops have breached hatch 24 and 38! Any available crew members go immediately there and help repel the enemy!" As a few engineers went with Ryu and Hayato to help repel the enemy, Al looked at Chan.

"Think about what I said, Chan. This is part of what you signed up for." Yelled Al before leaving. Looking at the gun on the ground, Chan picked it up and looked at it. Unsurprisingly, her hands started to shake as she thought of what was about to happen.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Hatch 24**

* * *

"Keep them pinned!" Yelled Carmine as he fired his assault rifle at a Zeon commando, who ducked in time to escape the barrage of bullets. Taking cover from return fire, Carmine contacted Stratton, who was dealing with the enemy that breached hatch 38. "What's the situation there!? Can you send anyone to assist?"

"Negative! The enemy is dug in deep. They're pushing us back." Said Stratton as he dragged a young man away from the fighting and to the waiting arms of their only medic. As the medic treated the wounded man, Stratton went back to see the Zeon soldiers pushing them back. With no sufficient cover, they lost two men to enemy fire before they could shoot. Tossing a grenade, Stratton held it for a few seconds before tossing it. The grenade exploded the moment it touched the ground, taking two enemy soldiers. The remaining three took cover and returned fire, taking out a young cadet. Gritting his teeth at seeing the young man fall, Stratton opened fired with his rifle and pistol, forcing them to take over again. Seeing that it was only him and two others, Stratton requested back up from the anywhere.

"Roger. We're sending additional crewmen to help repel enemy forces." Said Sayla as she instructed crewmen to go to hatch 38 and 24 while also being on standby in case more enemy troops breach through other sections of the ship. Bright, meanwhile, was thinking of where the rest of the enemy troops are. From what he's been told, only ten enemy soldiers have breached their ship so far. He knew that the Cuis could hold more than that, around 12 soldiers, so where were the rest? Thinking of possible locations, Bright soon heard shouting from Mirai. Looking at her, he saw several Zeon soldiers coming up and firing at the bridge. Fortunately, the glass was bullet proof and so the bullets were stopped. Seeing it didn't work, the soldiers began to place explosives on the glass, preparing to breach. Upon seeing this, Bright ordered everyone away and to defensive formation. Jumping out of the operator chairs, Marker and Oscar went to a large console machine, using it as cover, and aimed with their pistols. Mirai grabbed the kids, who were in the bridge at the time, and led them out, hoping to find somewhere where she could keep them safe. Bright, Sayla, and the two soldiers just went to the doors and used said doors as covers as well as a wall, aiming whatever guns they had at the approaching enemy soldiers. Once the charges were set, the enemy troops moved away and the charges soon exploded.

As the smoke was clearing, a grenade was tossed in the bridge. Seeing it, Bright and everyone turned or looked away just as the grenade emitting a bright light and sound. A few seconds passed and Bright turned to see four enemy soldiers coming out of the broken glass. Without thinking or hesitating, Bright aimed his pistol and fired at a soldier aiming his gun at the operators, scoring a headshot. The three others just went to the ground and fired, forcing everyone to remain in cover. One soldier was hit in the leg and fell down, exposing himself to enemy fire. Gritting his teeth at this, Bright fired back with everyone else as the enemy troops took cover via the consoles in the room. Seeing one prep a grenade, Sayla fired at him just as he was about to toss it. Hitting the hand that held the grenade, the soldier realized too late that the grenade was with him and was caught in its explosion. Down to just two enemy soldiers, Bright told everyone to stay calm and to be careful. He then carefully peered back and saw the enemy troops tossing grenades at the doors leading to the bridge. Yelling everyone to run, Bright and the soldier with him ran out of the bridge just as the grenade exploded. Tossed back due to the explosion, Bright looked at the soldier with him, seeing tears in his uniform.

"Soldier!" Yelled Bright as he held the man and examined his back. Seeing blood beginning to seep out of the tears, Bright realized that shrapnel got him. Checking for a pulse, Bright realized the soldier was alive but needed medical attention fast. Knowing that he had to finish the fight in the bridge soon or else the man will die, Bright grabbed the man's rifle and rushed back to see Sayla on top of a Zeon soldier while another was being tackled by Oscar and Marker. Aiming carefully and setting the rifle's fire mode to semi-auto, Bright managed to shoot the Zeon soldier that Sayla was attacking in the back several times. As the man fell, Bright aimed his gun at the other Zeon soldier, who was being held by Oscar and Maker. Realizing his comrades were dead or dying, the man held his arms in surrender. Now that the battle was done, Bright ordered Marker and Oscar to tie the man up while ordering Sayla to help the wounded soldiers. As the young teens did their orders, Hayato soon came to the bridge with a handful of engineers.

"Sir, Ryu and a few others are sending down to the other breached sections to help Carmine and his men. We heard that the bridge was attacked by Mirai so we got here as fast as we could." Nodding in thanks, he ordered them to keep the Bridge guarded while he goes to help out. Hayato was about to protest at that, but Bright left the bridge before he could. Sighing, Hayato went to one of the consoles to monitor the progress of the enemy. Upon seeing the red flashing lights and security cameras, Hayato gasped. He then grabbed his gun and took a few men with him.

* * *

Mirai's **location**

* * *

"Come on, kids! Follow me, I'll get you to safety." Said Mirai as she led the orphaned kids to safety. The kids protested at this, wanting to be in the middle of the action, but Mirai ignored them, knowing that they don't know how horrid fighting can be. As she lead them through the ship's corridors, she soon heard the sounds of urgent footsteps. Thinking it was more crewmembers, she yelled out for them to stop. Once they stopped and she heard muttering, her heart sank. It would have sank further if it was possible because two Zeon soldiers turned the corner and pointed their guns at them. Though the two were shocked to see kids with her, they nevertheless aimed their guns at Mirai, suspecting her to have a pistol on hand. Holding the kids close to her, Mirai just starred at them defiantly as the two moved in on them.

"Bad idea to yell out, missy." Said one soldier as the two stopped a few feet away from the group. "Cause now we got hostages to use." As the kids glared at the soldiers, Mirai stayed calm, knowing that one wrong move will get them all killed.

"The ship's captain won't surrender this ship for four hostages." Said Mirai. Despite saying that, she knew that was a lie. With her interactions with Bright, she knew he was too kind, likely from his time with Whitley, and considerate for his crew's wellbeing to make heavy-handed, but necessary, decisions.

"Well, in that case, he'll have to deal with the fact that he'll have the blood of three kids if he doesn't." Upon hearing that, the other soldier looked at him in surprise and shock while Mirai openly gaped at him. Fear filled her as she saw the man wasn't kidding around.

"You wouldn't dare." Said Mirai as she glared at the man while his fellow soldier looked a bit unsettled with his declaration. "You wouldn't murder children." She said this while tightening her hold on the children, not letting them to be hurt by this man. The man just let out a cruel smile.

"Try me." He then grabbed Kikka and tried to pull her away. The girl, refused to be intimidated, just bit into the man's hand as hard as she could. Yelling out in pain, the man let go of Kikka and she escaped to the back of Mirai's legs. Glaring at the girl, the man aimed his gun at the girl.

"You little brat! This will teach you to mess with a soldier of Zeon." Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Mirai grabbed the barrel of his gun and punched him in the face. The man was disoriented for a few moments, surprised at this, but his cohort saw Mirai pull out her gun and bashed his rifle into her skull before she could fire. He then kicked her to the wall, where she crumpled to the ground. Seeing this, the kids began to attack the other soldier's legs, attempting to defend Mirai. The soldier ignored them for the most part and saw his colleague glare at the woman as he got up. Humiliated, the man aimed his gun at her and was about to fire when he was hit with a barrage of bullets, killing him. The other soldier looked to see Bright aiming his rifle at him. Before he could do anything, Katz suddenly punched him in where the sun don't shine and he fall to the ground in pain. Shaking his head at this, Bright rushed toward Mirai, who was holding her head in pain.

"Are you okay?" Asked Bright in concern. Mirai, seeing Bright, just smiled and nodded.

"It's fine. Just a minor headache. I'll live." Said Mirai as she got up slowly, despite the pain in her head. "Thanks for coming, we would have been goners without you Bright." Bright just nodded in agreement as he aimed his gun at the surviving soldier.

"I would escort you, Mirai, but I can't leave this man alone or else he'll kill others in the crew. I'm sorry." Mirai just shook her head at that.

"No, it's fine, Bright. I can lead the kids to safety." Bright just looked at her. Concerned as he saw her bringing a hand to her head. It was obvious to him that one of the Zeon soldiers slammed their rifle butt to her head. Something that needed to be checked. He opened his mouth to speak when Mirai looked him in the eye. "I'll be fine, captain. Just watch him okay." Closing his mouth, he was displeased at not being there to escort her, but decided to trust her.

"Just be safe, Mirai. You're a valuable part of this crew. I'd hate to lose you." Nodding in understanding, Mirai led the kids away. Once they were gone, Bright just glared at the man, who simply held his hands in surrender.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Hanger bays**

* * *

 **"** Goddamnit! Can we get some actual soldiers here!" Yelled Isaac as he fired his pistol at the Zeons in hanger bay 2. Just like the bridge, Zeon soldiers have breached the hanger bays, obviously trying to hijack whatever mobile suits or fighters they had left or to sabotage the hangers so that they can't repair the mobile suits again for a while, thus leaving them vulnerable to enemy mobile suit attacks. There were eight total soldiers in both hangers and they split up to take each hanger bay. Isaac tried to go to hanger bay 1 to help Chan but he was forced to help defend bay 2 from the enemy. Though they had the high ground, the enemy was better trained at firearms then the engineers and more experienced at this kind of situation. They were holding their ground and were taking potshots at the engineers whenever they got the chance. So, far two engineers were killed and none of the Zeons were even injured. And if they didn't get some help, that number will only get higher. Ducking to prevent a bullet from hitting his head, Isaac thought of Chan and how terrified she was.

 **"Hope your safe Chan. You don't deserve to die this early."** Thought Isaac before returning fire. Chan, meanwhile, was cowering behind the Guntank as everyone else was firing back. Trying to control her shaking, Chan watched helplessly as another of her colleagues was shot.

"Damnit." Swore Chan as she tried to control her shaking. Despite the best of her abilities, she couldn't stop shaking her hands. At this rate, she's more likely to shoot herself or a comrade than an enemy with her shaking. Gritting her teeth, she was about to forget her shaking and fight anyway when a grenade rolled near her. Gasping, she kicked it away, safe from everyone, and watched it explode. Taking a deep breath, she peered over the Guntank's destroyed treads and saw a Zeon soldier advancing to her position and no one was in his way. Moving her head back, she tightened her hold on her pistol and loaded the magazine she had. Still shaking, she pointed her gun at where the Zeon was approaching and waiting for him to appear. Just when a gun barrel appeared in her line of vision, her mind went blank and she soon fired wildly at whoever came. She still kept firing, even after running out of bullets. After hearing the empty click of her gun for the fifteenth time, Chan looked to see she got the Zeon soldier and saw his slumped form bleeding out, forming a puddle around the body. Dropping her gun, she held herself as she saw what she did. Even though she heard the sounds of gunfire and people dropping, she couldn't take her eyes off the body.

* * *

 **Outside of the White Base**

* * *

Outside, another battle was waging that could also decide the fate of the crew. Kai was facing the lone Zaku alone, both low on ammo and taking cover behind some rocks, waiting for the other to make a fatal mistake. Amuro, meanwhile, was dodging thrusts from Ramba, who was doing the same to his counterattacks. All the pilots knew that they needed to win their matches in order for their side to win and none were willing to lose.

Seeing that he only had two shots for each shoulder cannon and only one shot with the beam rifle, Kai made a gamble. One that could make him lose or win this fight. Aiming his shoulder guns at a patch of dirt, he fired and went into the air. As he went into the air, the Zaku was looking over to where the Guncannon fired. Realizing he's been tricked, the pilot tried to find Kai, only to be blasted with the beam rifle and shoulder guns. Now out of ammo, Kai was about to return to the White Base when he saw the Gundam and the new enemy mobiles suit duking it out with their swords. Knowing that Amuro needed help, Kai rushed toward their fight. As he ran, he noticed a large boulder that the Guncannon can lift. Stopping at it, the Guncannon lifted the boulder and ran with it. As he was running, Kai witnessed the Gundam go for a swipe, only for the enemy to dodge and slice the Gundam's head with a counter attack, taking out the right eye and vulcan gun. Before either Amuro or Vega could counter, Ramba fired his beam gun again and used the bright light to mask his movements from the Gundam's sensors. He then jammed his saber into the Gundam's right arm, disabling it. Pulling it back, he was about to go for another stab when Kai threw the boulder at him. The impact surprised him and knocked him away from the Gundam as well as jarring some systems. Amuro, seizing the opportunity, grabbed the other beam saber from the backpack and slashed at the midsection of the Dom. But before he could swing, Ramba, on instinct, used the Dom's thrusters to fly up. Though the maneuver saved his life, it caused the Gundam to slice off a leg. Just as this happened, Ramba threw his saber, which got lodged into the head, exactly where the mouth should be. Not wanting to stop fighting, but knowing he was essentially useless in a mobile suit fight now that his weapons are all gone, Ramba grabbed the jet pack in the cockpit and flew to the White Base, who had retracted its machine guns to prevent enemy soldiers from boarding.

Landing on top of the ship, Ramba set the Dom to self-destruct and quickly got off to help his fellow soldiers. A few seconds later, the Guncannon and Gundam followed it in pursuit. Once they landed, the Guncannon grabbed the Dom and threw it overboard. A few moments later the Dom exploded. Sighing in relief, Kai thanked Vega for notifying them of the Dom's systems being overloading before contacting the bridge.

"Guys, we got one Zeon pilot going crazy and decided to take on the ship by himself. Can we get some backup to help out? We would do it, but we'd damage the ship in the process." Sayla soon contacted him.

"Understood, we're having what crew members to go and take him down. In the meantime, try to take out the Gallop. Once it's gone, go and assist the crew with taking out the enemy combatants on the ship."

"Understood." Amuro then turned to the Guncannon. "Kai, help out the crew. We'll take care of the Gallop."

"And how do you intend to do that?" Asked Kai, not really caring. He then got his answer when the Gundam brought out a beam saber, put it into javelin mode and went up to the front of the ship. Aiming down carefully, Vega calculated all the variable that'll change the javelin's flight path as well as to make sure it actually hit its target and made all the necessary changes. In a matter of seconds, Amuro got the amount of power he needs to throw the javelin and where to throw it. Taking a deep breath, Amuro piloted the Gundam to face the Gallop alone. Jumping into the air, the Gundam then used its thrusters to fly high up in the air to avoid the Gallop's fire. As he was descending, Amuro clenched his controls as he looked at the data Vega gave him. Trusting the AI, he threw the Javelin using the data and watched as it hit the Gallop in the middle of the land battleship. The javelin struck its main guns and went right through the ammo storage for said guns, causing a chain reaction. As explosions were occurring in the Gallop, Vega detected the bridge of the battleship ejecting and flying safely away. Ignoring the survivors, Amuro watched as the battleship explodes in a heat of glory.

"Great work, Vega. Now we have to help the crew." Said Amuro as they landed. The AI gave its acknowledgment and the two rushed toward the White Base. Kai, meanwhile, was waiting for the hanger bay doors to open so he could help out as Sayla informed him that Zeon soldiers were inside the hangers.

"Damnit! Come on guys. I feel useless here." Thought Kai as he waited, hoping everyone was not dead in the hangers. Meanwhile, in the hangers, Isaac just received a call from Sayla to open the hanger bay doors to allow the mobile suits to enter. After acknowledging the orders, Isaac went to the upper-level controls and began the process to open the doors. Unfortunately, as he did so, a Zeon soldier, having spotted him do this, activated his thrusters and flew up to him. As Isaac was doing the final procedure to open the hanger bay doors, the Zeon soldier landed and aimed his gun at the man.

"Step away from the controls!" Demanded the soldier, aiming his gun, ready to fire should Isaac do anything stupid. With no way to open the doors before the Zeon soldier killed him, Isaac held up his hands and turned around. The Zeon soldier ordered him to step away and he did so. Just as he was about to open fire on Isaac or something, the Zeon soldier heard the door open. Turning around, he saw a small teenage boy aiming a gun at him with several other Federation soldiers with him. Before he could do anything, Isaac brought out his pistol and fired at his legs. With the soldier incapacitated and the new arrivals dealing with him, Isaac went back to opening the doors. After a few more seconds of button pushing, he opened the hanger bay doors, allowing the Guncannon to come in and squash any Zeon soldiers it found. Bringing the Guncannon's foot down on a Zeon position, Kai ordered the survivors to stand down or face the Guncannon's Vulcan guns. Despite the warning, the Zeon soldiers refused to be intimidated and fired on the Guncannon. Shocked at their behavior, Kai nevertheless opened fire with the Vulcans, shredding them to pieces. Once he was done, Kai saw the carnage and nearly lost his breakfast. There was nothing left aside from red mists and bullet holes from where he fired. Steeling himself, Kai scanned the area for any stragglers, hoping it'll help with his stomach.

Amuro, meanwhile, landed on hanger bay 1 and saw the Zeon's pushing forward to take out the remaining engineers, who were using the Guntank as cover. Wanting this to end, Amuro slammed the Gundam's only working hand near the Zeon position. The shock waves from the fist sent them all flying away, breaking necks or just knocking them unconscious. With them gone, Amuro got out of the cockpit and brought out his pistol. Once he got out, Vega scanned the hanger for any hostiles. Once he hit the ground, Amuro went up to the Guntank, yelling out.

"It's okay! We're clear!" Yelled Amuro. Upon hearing a friendly voice, the remaining engineers looked over and sighed in relief.

"Thank god. We would have been goners if it weren't for you." Said an engineer with the others nodding in agreement. "Thanks kid. You saved us all." Nodding his head, Amuro looked to see only three of the twenty-five engineers were here. His heart sinking, he asked if Chan was alright.

"She's fine." Said another engineer. "She's back here, but she's a little shaken up. Holding herself from shaking." Upon hearing that, Amuro rushed over to the Guntank. When he was at the rear, he saw Chan holding herself. Beside her, a few feet away, was a dead Zeon soldier. Getting the picture, Amuro went over to her.

"Chan," Amuro said softly as he touched her shoulders. Looking over to him, Amuro saw that tears were falling down her face. Gazing at her in sympathy, Amuro began to wipe the tears away. "It's okay, Chan. You don't need to kill anymore today. No one will force you to do so." Chan just teared up more before embracing Amuro, closing her eyes as she did so. Amuro, not really shocked at this, just awkwardly held her as her tears stained his pilot suit.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

"Ramirez! Move back! We need to fall back!" Yelled Carmine as he and his men fell back as the enemy advanced, using the corridors as cover. Despite their best efforts, the enemy, using grenades and superior cover managed to push them back deeper in the ship. To make matters worse, Stratton reported in that Ramba had just ambushed them and was moving towards them. Taking a shot at a commando, Carmine managed to hit one in the throat, surely killing him, but got shot in the shoulder as a result. Dropping his gun, he grabbed his pistol and was firing back with his good arm when the people in the middle, which were one young man and one of his troopers, were gunned down by enemy reinforcements. Gritting his teeth, Carmine told the others to aim carefully, lest they hit their own guys. Unfortunately, the enemy soldiers came just as he made those orders and in the confusion shot down the ones sandwiched between the two Zeon groups and began to fire back at them, pinning them. As they were under fire, the group couldn't do anything as the Zeon troops fled the area, obviously to find some way to past them and to deeper parts of the ship. Looking at the way they left, Carmine held his arm as Ryu came to back them up.

"Sir! What's the situation?" Asked Ryu, ready to fight. Carmine just grunted as he tried to stop the bleeding before speaking.

"Ramba Ral joined up with what's left of his men. They just left to go find another way into the ship." Ryu, thinking of possible entryways, remembered the elevators.

"Sir, there's an elevator not too far away from. They must be trying to use that to get to the bridge. Follow me. We can cut them off if we hurry." Nodding his head, he ordered his men to follow him while he took care of his wound. Ramirez gave a look of concern for her CO before leaving with Ryu. Shaking his head, Carmine grunted as he left to go find a first aid kit somewhere here. As he walked, he thought of all the good young men that died instead of him and his men. Gritting his teeth, he slammed his good arm to the wall, swearing.

Ramba Ral, meanwhile, was checking his ammo as his men took the elevator to the bridge. So far, this mission went bad in so many ways. Not only did his two wing mates get killed, but he failed to destroy Amuro. It seemed the boy did have skills, after all. Not only that, but most of his men were either dead or captured. It was all left to him and this meager group of soldiers to take this ship full of Federation lackies. When he got into the ship, however, he was shocked to see they're all mostly young men, in or under their twenties. He didn't see anyone past over that aside from one man that he caught a glance at as he made his escape with two others.

"Feddies much be running low on manpower. Just like us." Thought Ramba sadly as he wondered how many more of the next generation must die for either side to win this way. He stopped his thoughts when the elevator suddenly stopped. Pulling the pin of a smoke grenade, Ramba and his men got ready for more fighting. Under the cover of the smoke, the soldiers moved out of the elevator and through the hallway, hoping it'll lead them to the bridge. As they passed a corridor, a young man saw them and opened fired, taking out a soldier as he turned around. Dropping to the ground, everyone fired at the young boy, no older than a teenager, riddling full of holes. Getting up, the men ran to the new hallway, hoping to find the bridge as soon as possible before more Federation personal zeroed in on their position. As they zigzagged through the endless corridors, they eventually heard a woman's voice, telling the crew of what to do and where to go. Believing that they're near a communication's room, the men got ready to breach. Going near a door, one soldier placed a charge and set the timer. They soon heard shouting and guns loading. Clenching his gun, Ramba burst into the room, firing his gun as his men did the same. Killing one Federation lacky and going to the ground to kill another, Ramba considered himself lucky as his men fell to enemy return fire, who were in perfect cover or on the ground as him. Once the fighting stopped, Ramba saw only three Federation soldiers remained, two young man and a young woman. His remaining men, four in total, secured the two men while another began to contact the Gallop. As the last one was covering the entrance, Ramba looked at the young woman, looking defiantly at him. Upon seeing her face, he gasped in shock.

Her blond hair shaped in that way. And those blue eyes that looked like oceans. It couldn't be. As he looked closer at the woman, he couldn't help but imagine a little girl with the same eyes and hairstyle and color. Still shocked, Ramba could only mutter his words.

"Your…your highness." Said Ramba, confusing the woman as she looked at him, wondering why he called her that. As he starred into her more, the more Ramba began to believe she was actually…Artesia Zum Deikun. Soon memories began to fill him. The moment when he promised to take care of her and her remaining family from harm. The moment he promised to get her cat from her house while she was living with his family. And the moment when he saw the crate holding her and her brother leaving for a freighter, taking them to safety, away from the Zabis. "Lady Artesia. Its actually you." Upon hearing that name, the woman looked uncomfortable as if experiencing bad memories. That was something that got Ramba's attention and made him realize its actually her. "Yes, there's no doubt on it. You're Artesia. Remember me? My name is Ramba Ral. The son of Jimba Ral. The man that warned your family about the Zabis. Don't you remember?" The woman just stayed silent as she gaped at the man, her eyes shaking as she saw flashbacks of Ramba Ral and her as a kid. The operators of the White Base, confused, asked Sayla what is going on. Their answer was a jab to the stomach and being forced to the ground, the soldiers threating to shot them if they spoke again. Ignoring this, Ramba continued to stare at the woman. Eventually, she glared at him and spoke.

"If I'm who you say I am, then stop pointing your weapon at me and let my coworkers go." Still stunned at seeing Artesia again, Ramba was too focused on her when the man guarding the door shouting of incoming Federation soldiers before being shot. The other door leading to the bridge opened and poured out more Federation crew men. They shoot the other two soldiers before they could do anything. By the time Ramba Ral was able to snap out of it, he was faced with a bunch of Federation crewmen. Gritting his teeth, he looked back at the woman, who he believed was Artesia, only to be shocked to see her point a pistol at him.

"Oh, how times have changed people." Thought Ramba as he remembered the innocent little girl that was Artesia. Looking behind him, he saw the Gundam and the other mobile suit jumping from the hangers' and walking up to the bridge. Now completely surrounded and not willing to be a Federation prisoner, Ramba made a tough call. Dropping his gun, Ramba began to address the crew.

"You wall have fought splendidly, but know you must witness the path of what awaits true soldiers and warriors." He then looked at Artesia and soften his gaze. "Please watch closely." He then brought out a grenade and pull the pin. He then rushed out the broken windows and jumped out. Shocked to see this, the Gundam attempted to catch Ramba Ral, only for him to explode in its hands. Amuro, Vega, and Kai watched in shock as the explosion occurred, not believing that Ramba Ral just committed suicide right in front of their eyes. As everyone looked at the explosion, Sayla began to tear up.

"Ramba Ral." She said slowly before closing her eyes, remembering the kind man that was so nice to her family during dark times. As Amuro looked at the hand that attempted to save Ramba, he thought about his words, now that the battle was pretty much over.

"Vega…was Ramba right?" Said Amuro after a moment of silence. "Am I relying on you and the Gundam's power too much?" The AI just went over all their combat sorties to give him his answer.

 **"Based on previous combat data and performance as well as addressing other factors…all of our victories relied on the Gundam or myself. If you're asking if Ramba was right and that you have to start to rely on your skills alone in case, then I would suggest you train to do should a situation occur that you can't rely on the Gundam's power or myself to carry you to victory on our own."** Amuro just looked out to the horizon. Much as he hated to admit it, he was right. He needed to train to be a better pilot.

* * *

 **A few hours later**

 **Support team's location**

* * *

Shiro was speaking to Kled when suddenly Massis came out of the hover truck, shock evident in his face.

"Shiro! I just received some shocking news, man!" Yelled Massis. Once he had the Ensign's attention, he spoke. "The White Base had just taken out the Blue Giant just a few hours ago." Upon hearing that, Shiro openly gaped at the comm officer. The Blue giant was dead.

"Unbelievable. They've taken out an ace pilot of the Zeon mobile suit division." Thought Shiro as thought of how much damage the Blue Giant had done to their forces. And now he was dead, thanks to the efforts of a ragtag group of soldiers and civilians. If that didn't earn them all a medal, Shiro didn't know what will. Once the shock wore off, Shiro looked at Massis again.

"Do they need our support still?" Asked Shiro. Massis just nodded.

"Yeah. During their last battle with the Blue Giant, the Zeons managed to land boarding teams on their ship. They lost a lot of good engineers in the fighting. So, the process to repairing their mobile suits is going slow. They need support now more than ever." Nodding his head in agreement, Shiro told Massis to get everyone moving so they can meet them up with them earlier than scheduled. Once Massis left, he spoke to Kled again.

"The Gundam ready for another long trek through the desert?" Asked Shiro as he got into the cockpit again.

 **"Affirmative. Just don't do anything stupid like the time with the guerillas."** Said Kled, making Shiro chuckle.

"Oh, come on, let it go." Said Shiro teasingly. "They didn't do much against you."

 **"I'm still trying to get rid of their stench in the cockpit. And I'm certain that one threw feces at the Gundam's face when I didn't fight back."** Complained Kled as they got ready to move. Shiro just shook his head before moving ahead with everyone following soon after.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

"I'm very sorry to hear what happened, Miss Hamon." Said M'Quve as he spoke to Hamon, the lover of the deceased Ramba Ral. "I didn't know him personally, but he was a good man and an excellent pilot. He will be missed. If there's anything that I can do to help, just ask and I'll do whatever it is you request. That is, if its in reason." Hamon just looked at him in annoyance before speaking.

"The Trojan Horse is weak. Their low on ammo for their mobile suits and we hit them hard inside their own ship. Now is a perfect opportunity to attack them while they're licking their wounds. We won't get another opportunity like this again." M'Quve nodded at that. Opportunities like this only appear once in a lifetime. Plus, he saw that, if he got rid of the Trojan Horse, he can focus all his forces to the large Federation forces that were lying in wait just outside the range of his artillery. With the Apsalus II in his disposal, he could send a few units to assist the remaining troops of Ramba Ral's special task group.

"What do you want?" Asked M'Quve. Hamon just narrowed her eyes at his nonchalant way of speaking, but steeled herself.

"The Midnight Fenrir, a few more mobile suits, and some explosives." M'Quve just chuckled.

"I'll do more than that. I'll personally aid in this battle." Hamon looked surprised at this, so M'Quve explained himself. "The Trojan Horse is in my territories, Miss Hamon, its only right that I help take it out and to avenge Ramba Ral. I couldn't send much support before, so I'm willing to correct that."

" **And plus, with Ramba Ral gone, I don't need to worry about Dozle or the other Zabis finding out what's going on."** Hamon just nodded before ending the transmission. With her out of his skin, M'Quve contacted Schmitzer.

"I have a new assignment for you, Gerhart. One that I believe, you will take as personal." M'Quve just smiled as Schmitzer spoke.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

 **RedRat8- Considering that Char will have his newtype powers early and the Apsalus II, he may get them early to. Or later, considering the mobile suit I'm giving him. I don't know, I'm still ont eh fence on his Newtype power. And yeah, but it won't be as spectacular as the game. They'll suffer casualties in this battle and again when they face the White base in Odessa.**

 **Thekiller7- Yeah, he was. Origins just made me like him more.**

 **Oh you know, being M'quve. Manipulating and doing things that benefit Kycilla faction only and not caring who died as a result**

* * *

 **A day after Ramba's last attack on the White Base**

 **Med Bay**

* * *

"Try not to move, Al." Said Isaac as he watched his colleague wince in pain as the doctor treated his wound. The lucky bastard only managed to get two bullets stuck in his leg during a firefight at hatch 38. He would have got more, but Stratton managed to pull him out at the last second when Ramba Ral came and ambushed them.

"You're lucky, you know that. If Hayato didn't come in time, you would be dead." Said Al as the doctor finished and went to other patients.

"I'm not going to deny that." As the two argued, Carmine looked at the amount of wounded they had. The battle was rough on the crew. Twelve of them were dead and over double of that were wounded. The engineering crew took the worst and only ten were fit to do any work. His men were hit pretty hard as well. Out of the eighteen men he had, six were dead and another eight were wounded, including him. Though he was still able to command effectively. After they mopped up an stragglers, they buried their dead and took off for the rendezvous point with their relief forces. As he looked at the wounded, Carmine began to get angry. Both at the Zeons and himself. If he'd just has more men or arrived in time to prevent the Zeons from digging in, so many young people wouldn't have died. Clenching his fists, Carmine left the medical bay to cool off.

" **Damnit. Why did this happen?"** Thought Carmine as he walked. **"Why couldn't I be there in time."**

* * *

 **Hanger bay 1**

* * *

" ***Sighs*** Damnit." Cursed Amuro as he checked the Gundam's parts. That last battle with Ramba Ral did a number on the Gundam's right arm and they didn't have enough spare parts to fix it properly. The best they can do with it is basic movement, but that's it. If it pulled off any fancy maneuvers, the whole thing internal systems will fry and make it useless again. They fixed the other problems, though, so that was a good thing. Looking past the Gundam, he saw the remaining engineers fixing the Guntank's treads as best they could or were loading the Guncannon's shoulder guns with whatever ammo was left. Seeing so few engineers, made Amuro clench his fists. He made a promise to save everyone, but he failed. All because he was too weak on his own. Vega looking at his partner, spoke.

" **Don't blame yourself Amuro."** Vega said. " **None of their deaths are your fault."**

"They are." Said Amuro. "If I'd just been stronger, I would have been able to beat Ramba Ral in time to stop those tanks from getting close to the White Base and boarding."

" **Amuro. Ramba Ral was an elite pilot, nearly to the same caliber of Char Aznable. Even though we had a superior machine and technology, he had the experience factor. And in our previous battles, it seems that those who survived us are either really lucky or have the experience factor. Plus, Ramba Ral planned this carefully. He had plenty of time to plan this out and most likely had backup plans in case the main plan failed. The point I'm trying to say is don't beat yourself up over this. Even the most skilled of ship crews have suffered casualties in the many wars that humanity has fought in its time. This should be no different."** Amuro just looked down, knowing he was right.

"I get that, but I still can't shake this feeling that I could have done more. That I could have been better." Said Amuro. "I don't know. Should I go speak to someone about this?"Vega nodded at that.

" **I believe that talking your problems with an understanding person can always help people with their problems. Might I suggest Chan or Fraw Bow? They both seem to be nice people and will likely be understanding with your plight."** Amuro just pursed his lips at that. At the moment both were busy right now, for different reasons. Fraw Bow was helping out the doctors in taking care of the many wounded they had and Amuro didn't want to interrupt her while she was doing something important. Chan, on the other hand, was facing her own problems.

Ever since she killed her first living being, she's been struggling to do anything productive for a crew. She was unfocused and clearly disturbed with her actions. The girl would have asked for help from Bright, Al, or Isaac, but with the amount of wounded they had, no one was able to help her out, not even Mirai or Sayla could help her. So, to prevent any mistakes coming from her end, she locked herself in her room to cool off. Something that Vega didn't approve on.

"I don't know. Both are pretty busy. Fraw is busy with the wounded and Chan…well you know." Vega just turned the Gundam's head to look at Amuro.

" **Then perhaps, you should go and help cheer Chan up. You two are good friends. Perhaps she just requires a friend to be there for her. To comfort her and help her through this until we get a professional to help her with this. You need reassurance yourself as well. So, it's a win-win. Besides** , **with the current status of our engineers, we need as many here as possible. That includes Miss Chan."** Amuro just sighed at that. He had a point. They only had a handful of engineers and with them in enemy territory, they need all the people they could get in order to fix and maintain the mobile suits they had. Plus, Amuro wouldn't deny he was worried for Chan. After leaving her alone, he was so worried for her mental health. After all, killing someone that young can be detrimental to one's psyche if no one was there to comfort them.

"I hate it when you use logic." Amuro said before looking at the Gundam. "Alright, I'll talk to her. In the meantime, try and figure out ways to fix the Gundam's damaged arm. We're going to need it if the Zeons come at us again." Vega just gave a thumbs up as he watched Amuro leave. With his partner gone, Vega looked to see Amuro's little robot there, staring at him. Tilting his head, he was about to call it out when it suddenly got up and followed Amuro. Shaking the Gundam's head, Vega started to check the Gundam's systems, hoping to find a way to fix the arm.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **M'Quve's personal Dabude battleship**

* * *

"Is everyone in position, commander Schmitzer?" Asked M'Quve as he looked out at the field of sand that would soon become a battlefield.

"Yes sir. All mobile suits and air units are in position and waiting for the stealth team to attack the Trojan Horse." Said Schmitzer, looking at M'Quve with determined eyes. He was eager to avenge his friend, Ramba Ral, as well as finally taking out the Trojan Horse. That ship was caused too many deaths already. Its time to put an end to it. To emphasize his want to avenge the Blue Giant, the entire Midnight Fenrir, even the newest recruits, were sent to face the Gundam and the Trojan Horse. Overkill, in M'Queve's eyes, but given the ship's track record, he supposed overkill was needed this time.

"Good. Once the stealth team was taken out their ECM capabilities as well as their Minovsky particle emitters, we'll commence the air assault." M'Quve then looked at Schmitzer. "Don't let your emotions get to you, Schmitzer. They'll be used against you if you do." Schmitzer just closed his eyes at that.

"Don't worry, sir. My men and I won't let that happen. We'll complete our mission with professionalism befitting of the Midnight Fenrir. We won't let our hatred for the Trojan Horse blind us to the fact that mission is about taking out a critical enemy. Not vengeance." M'Quve just nodded before walking over to the woman in charge of the operation. "Tell the stealth team to commence once the Trojan Horse is under them. Then tell the Dopps to move in once the stealth team was accomplished their task." The woman nodded and began to relay the orders.

* * *

 **White Base**

 **Chan's room**

* * *

Amuro took a deep breath before knocking on Chan's door. He shouldn't be doing this, but he felt like he needed to do this. Not just for his sake, but for Chan's as well.

"Chan, its Amuro. Can I come in?" Asked Amuro. After hearing no response, he sighed again before opening the door. Upon entering the room, he saw Chan sleeping on her desk, having fallen asleep while doing something on her computer. Smiling a bit at seeing her sleeping form, he walked over and began to lightly tap her shoulder. Upon touching her, he saw her tighten her face and whimper. Concerned, he began to shake her while calling her name. After a few moments, she woke up.

"Amuro?" Asked Chan groggily as she weakly opened her eyes, seeing the Gundam pilot. "What's going on? Is there something you need?" Amuro just bit his lip, wondering if he should say it, before doing so.

"Actually, I was wondering if you wanted some company. You've been in your room for a while now and I've been worried. So is Vega." Chan just looked down, causing Amuro to look at her in sympathy. "If you want me to help you out, I'll do it. Like you promised to be there if I ever I needed it." Chan just stayed silent, looking at her computer. A few painstakingly long seconds later, she got up and went to her bed. After sitting on it, she tapped gently to a space next to her. Getting the message, Amuro went over and sat beside her. After he sat down, she looked at him.

"I'll be frank, Amuro. I didn't know what came over me when I killed that man. My mind just went blank and I started shooting. I didn't have any control over my actions. After I saw his dead body, I froze and saw nothing but the body and the blood coming out of it. I couldn't hear or see my colleagues fighting for their lives, even as they came to me. I was just that scared." She then held her hands together. "It was pathetic, even more so when I hugged you and cried when you came. I'm supposed to be the shoulder you need when you're at your lowest, but instead you came to me when I'm at my lowest and need a shoulder to cry on. It's pathetic, isn't it?" Amuro just shook his head at that.

"I don't think it is, Chan. It just means you needed someone there for you. Just because you're suppose to be the one that's there for someone when they're down, doesn't mean you shouldn't receive the same treatment when you're down and you need someone there for you." He then held Chan's hand. "I know that I killed people before, Chan, but never like you. I only killed with my mobile suit, never with just my own hands. So, I won't say I have the same experiences like you, but I'll say that I'll be there for you Chan just as you will for me." Looking at their intertwined hands, Chan let out a sad smile.

"Thank you, Amuro. That means a lot." She then placed her other hand on Amuro's hand, which was holding her other hand. Amuro, who was surprised to see this and blushed a bit. He coughed a bit before speaking.

"So, uhh…will you allow me to help you through this?" Asked Amuro, tugging his collar. Chan just giggled before getting up and looking at Amuro.

"Yes, I will." She then looked at Amuro again. "Just give me half an hour to freshen up and we'll talk more about this. I'll say this again, Amuro, thank you. You're a good friend." Amuro just smiled at that and would have talked more when the ship suddenly shook. The shockwaves sent them both to the ground with a thud. Once the ended, Amuro sat up.

"What the hell!? The Zeons again!" Yelled Amuro as he went over to help Chan, who hit her head when falling.

"We need to go to the hanger, now." Said Chan as she held her head, rubbing it. Upon seeing Amuro's face, she shook her head. "We don't have a choice in the matter, its only a matter of time before the enemy launches a counter attack." She then placed a hand on one of Amuro's hand. "Don't worry about me. I'll take it easy. I promise." Amuro just shook his head before running to the door in order to reach the hanger as quickly as possible.

* * *

 **Bridge**

 **Few minutes earlier**

* * *

"Sir, I made contact with our relief force. Should I patch them in?" Asked Sayla. Bright just nodded before looking up at the screen in front of him. Soon enough, Shiro Amada's face showed up.

"Good to see you again, lieutenant Noa. How's the situation regarding your ship. I heard you faced the Blue Giant and survived." Bright just nodded, relieved to hear another Federation soldier that wasn't part of his crew, before speaking.

"Yes, we managed to survive and even kill the Blue Giant and his assaults. However, his last attack managed to take a toll on my crew. Our engineers took a major beating, unfortunately. We're repairing our mobile suits as we speak, but it's a slow pace. We'll need your support soon if the Zeons attack us." Shiro nodded in understanding at that.

"Don't worry sir. We'll double time it so that you don't have to worry for long." Bright nodded.

"Alright. See you at the rendezvous point. In the meantime, can you send out a message to General Revil. Tell him to send us supplies. We're running out of ammunitions as well as provisions. The crew's morale is fine for now, but I don't know for how long."

"I'll send it as soon as possible, sir. With luck, he'll be able to send a supply drop before the Operation begins. Alright, if that's all, we'll see yo…" Before Shiro could finish his sentence, the ship suddenly shook as explosions happened everywhere. Bright held on as everyone either fall to the ground or hit their head on their controls. Once it ended, Bright yelled out.

"What just happened?" Asked Bright as Marker looked at the ship's schematics.

"Sir, major damage to the ECM and Minovsky particle emitters. The enemy must have slipped through and planted explosions in crucial parts of the ship." Bright just gritted his teeth upon hearing that. That wasn't good. Without those systems, they'll be detected for sure by the enemy. Its just a matter of time.

"What about our communications and radar? Are they fine?" Marker just shook his head at that.

"Communications are also down, but…the radar is fine, sir. I don't know why they left it alone." Bright just frowned at that, wondering that as well. As he thought of reasons why the enemy left it alone, Oscar yelled out.

"Sir, two groups of enemy fighters! One numbers around twenty fighters and the other is fifteen." Springing into actions, Bright yelled orders.

"Get the mobile suits ready. Tell our pilots to escort the Guntank to the front of the ship. We'll use it as a makeshift AA platform. The other mobile suits will provide assistance until we detect enemy ground troops. Once we do, tell them to engage them. Meanwhile, we'll try and make it to the rendezvous point with our relief forces." Sayla nodded upon hearing those orders before relaying them to the hangers. As she did these, Bright looked with slight suspicion. Just a few hours after Ramba Ral's last attack, Oscar and Marker spoke to him about what Ramba Ral called Sayla as.

* * *

 **Flashback**

* * *

" _ **You're certain?" Asked Bright in shock. Marker just nodded.**_

" _ **Yes sir. Ramba Ral clearly called Sayla as Artesia and he even said that his father, Jimba Ral, warned her father of the Zabi family." Oscar then spoke up.**_

" _ **Pardon me for this question sir, but you don't think that he's referring to the daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun himself? She was just a little girl when he died and, given the amount of time passed as well as assuming she's still alive, she'll be right around Sayla's age." Bright just frowned at that. He didn't know much of the republic of Zeon, he was too focused on his own education to care, but he did know about Zeon Zum Deikun. The man was a bit strange and egoistical for his taste. He always claimed that those from Earth are relics of the past and that all of humanity needs to go to space in order to evolve, hence his theory on Newtypes. All of it harmless, if a little alarming, but his taking of another woman when he was married sickened him. From what he could gather, Zeon Zum Deikun had a wife and a mistress.**_

 _ **His wife was called Roselucia Deikun. She was a massive supporter to his cause and the two eventually married, which gave him a lot more power and influence as he was merely a political activist before he married her. The two shared similar ideas and Deikun was a more of a people person than Roselucia so it made sense from a logic stand point why they married. Unfortunately, Roselucia was infertile and, so couldn't bear children, much to Zeon Zum Deikun's disappointment. Though Bright figured that was just a rumor spun around by enemies of Deikun.**_

 _ **His mistress, according to the rumors, was a woman called Astraia Tor Deikun and she was just a singer from a night club in Side 3. They met during Deikun's early years as an activist and they had a one-night stand that cultivated in twins or something like that. The rumors also stated that Roselucia was furious to learn of this, but a talk with Deikun convinced her to allow Astraia to live in their home with her and Deikun's children. Likely because they were Deikun's heirs and that it would be a shame for them to grow up without their biological mother.**_

 _ **Bright didn't know how much were just rumors and which were fact, but he knew that those were the basic story elements behind Deikun and his family. At least prior to his death. Another thing that he knew of was true was the fact that sometime after Deikun's death, his children disappeared, never to be seen again. Investigations into finding them were conducted but they stopped after a few weeks once Degwin Zabi ordered it.**_

 _ **Bright just looked at Sayla, who was monitoring the security cameras for any stragglers that were hiding in the ship, waiting for an opportunity to fight back. Bright frowned at the thought that Sayla was from Zeon and is the child of Zeon Zum Deikun. He didn't think it was possible for her to be from Zeon, but then again, he didn't know much of her background. He'll ask the other citizens of Side 7 for that. For now, he'll let her off the hook.**_

" _ **For now, keep this to yourselves. I'll deal with it once this whole ordeal is over. We can't afford any distrust in the crew." Marker and Oscar just nodded in understanding before going back to their duties. Bright looked at Sayla one more time before beginning to yell out orders for everyone else.**_

* * *

 **Present**

* * *

He'd still hadn't been able to ask anyone from Side 7 about Sayla and her background, due to the amount of wounded they had, but he needs to do it soon. This was something that he needed to resolve, both for his and his crew's sake. Much as he wanted to have absolute trust on his crew and didn't want to suspect Sayla, given how much she's done for them, if she is Artesia Zum Deikun, then he needs to know for certain. But for now, he'll focus on getting his ship out of this situation. Watching as the Guntank was steadily placed on top of one of the hanger bays, Bright looked to see the fighters beginning their attack run.

* * *

 **Relief team**

* * *

"Come in, White Base. Come in!" Yelled Shiro as he attempted to contact them again. After trying for the fifth time, he slammed his hands into the console in frustration.

"Its no use, sir." Said Massis. "The enemy must have knocked their comms with a few well-placed explosives. We can't get anything on any of the channels. Michel just looked at Shiro.

"You don't think that the Zeons have managed to…" Shiro just shook his head.

"No, I refuse to believe that they went down that easily. They must still be alive and fighting." Shiro then get out of the truck and ran to his mobile suit. After getting into the cockpit, he contacted everyone. "Teams! The White Base is under attack! We need to double time it! They're low on ammo and can't hold out for long. So let's get moving!' With that Shiro waited impatiently as the truck got ready to move again. Once it did, everyone began to ran as fast as their mobile suits could do. As everyone was running toward the rendezvous point, Shiro talked to Kled.

"Try and monitor the radar for the White Base and any large enemy mobilization. The White Base must be facing a large enemy force by now and we have to get there as quickly as possible to assist. Can you do that?"

 **"Of course. I'll be monitoring all radar and detection equipment. If I get anything, I'll let you know."** Shiro just nodded as he moved ahead of everyone, eager to assist the White Base.

" **They're not going to die."** Thought Shiro as he moved with a purpose. " **Not while I'm here."**

* * *

 **White Base**

* * *

"Whoa!" Yelled Kai as the Guncannon barely dodged a missile strike from a Dopp before firing on the that fired said missile, destroying it. "Damn it. We're getting swarmed here! Sayla, can't you get the AA guns to help out!"

"They're trying their best, Kai, but the Dopps are too fast for them to reliably take them out." Sayla said as she coordinated both the mobile suits and the gun crews, trying to advise them on how to take on the Dopps. Kai was about to make a sarcastic response when he spotted three Dopps coming at the bridge. Acting quickly, he fired the Vulcans at them, taking two out and causing the last one to bug out before it can take a shot at the bridge. Looking at his ammo counter, Kai saw he only around fifty shots left in the Vulcans.

"Uh, guys. Nearly out of ammo here. What about you?"

"Only got five shots left and about forty rounds in the Vulcans." Said Amuro before firing his beam rifle at a Dopp squadron, taking out two and another three that were caught in the explosions.

"Same here." Hayato said before taking a shot at the Dopps with his missiles, the Dopps dodged those before going past the Guntank's blind spot in the rear. Despite the Engineers best attempts, the Guntank's treads were still broken, meaning the Guntank couldn't pivot or turn around as the whole mobile suit had to move in order to do so. So, without the treads working properly, the Guntank was only useful in the front and sides of it. "Its only a matter of time before the Guntank is useless. Might have to eject the core fighter to fight them alone."

"Hayatos' right!" Said Ryu as he spotted five Dopps trying to launch an attack on the White Base's starboard side. After informing Amuro of this, the pilot quickly went over there and began firing there, forcing the Dopps to back off. "We're soon going to fight in Core fighters if this keeps up. I hope that backup gets here quick." Amuro was about to respond when the ship was suddenly hit from the bottom. The three mobile suits held their ground and the ship shook beneath them. Once the ship stopped shaking, Kai yelled out.

"What just happened?!" It was Sayla that answered.

"Enemy mobile suits have arrived. They're attacking the ship a few kilometers ahead! Guncannon and Gundam, deal with the enemy mobile suits immediately."

"Oh great." Said Kai. "Into another meat grinder. I better get a break after this. Let's go Amuro!" Nodding his head, Amuro and Kai jumped off the ship and into the ground. As they fell, Vega spotted two Gouf mobile suits taking potshots at the White Base with their bazookas. Acting quickly, Amuro fired and destroyed both Goufs with a single shot. "Nice. Now let's hope they're aren't that many left." Kai said as they landed. Upon landing, the two were immediately swarmed by four Gouf mobile suits. "Crap. Me and my big mouth." The two then stood firm as they took multiple shots from Zaku machineguns. After enduring the initial barrage, Amuro fired the beam rifle and took out a Gouf before charging. The mobile suit that was near the destroyed Gouf, tried to move out of the way, but was tackled to the ground by the Gundam and was quickly stabbed in the gut with a beam saber. The other Goufs aimed at the Gundam and were about to fire but were shot down by the Guncannon. Looking at the carnage, the two mobile suits were about to go back to the ship when the Guncannon was hit with a bazooka. The impact shook the cockpit a bit and froze some systems, but Kai was able to still have control of his mobile suit. Amuro was about to yell out when Vega raised the shield to protect them from a rocket. Seeing that there were still enemy forces, Amuro went to the ground and ordered Vega to find them.

It only took a moment for the AI to detect movement near their location. He couldn't get an exact number of mobile suits, but he guessed there were at least six more. Nodding his head, Amuro told Kai to cover him while he and Vega take point. The Guncannon nodded its head before readying its shoulder cannons. Sighing a bit, Amuro piloted the Gundam to where the enemy was hiding. Going over a large rock, Amuro spotted seven Goufs, three of the A types while the others were the B type. The Goufs opened fired when they spotted the Gundam, who went back behind the rock to find cover from the bullets. As the volley continued, Amuro spoke to Vega.

"Listen, Vega. Can you not help out this time around? I think I can handle this." Vega, though surprised to hear this, understood. The words from Ramba Ral are obviously bothering him and he wanted to see if he can actually be a good pilot without someone being there to help him out. Though he wished he picked a better time, Vega trusted his pilot on this.

" **I'll only intervene if I feel that your performance will endanger the others."** Amuro just nodded at that, completely siding with Vega on that. Once the volley ended, the Gundam moved out of cover and fired the beam rifle twice. The first shot was at a MS-07A Gouf, but the pilot used his thrusters to move out of the way before the Gundam could fire. The 2nd shot, however, destroyed a MS-07B Gouf. Saving his last shot for something, Amuro charged in, telling Kai to cover the White Base. The Goufs, shocked to see this, were unable to react in time as the Gundam grabbed one of its sabers and sliced a Gouf in half. Just as Amuro was about to slice another one, the pilot reacted in time and ducked the attack and smacked the Gundam in the back with the back of its elbow. The impact didn't deter Amuro, however, and he just brought his saber at the Gouf's back as it tried to get away, hitting the engine. Jumping out of the way, Amuro landed safely away just as the Gouf exploded. With three of the Goufs down, Amuro charged at the remaining four, who tossed their guns and got out their own heat sabers.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Midnight Fenrir pilot Lou Roher**

* * *

"Switch to melee weapons! Our guns won't work on the Gundam!" Yelled Roher as he brought out his own saber." Roher then activated his comms. "Nikki! Get over here with Leo and assist us! Let Hepner and Austin deal with the Guncannon." With that he cut the comms and looked as the Gundam charged him and his men. He gritted his teeth as the Gundam charged again. This time prepared, the mobile suits dodged out of the way and kept their distance. The Goufs that had cable launchers, fired them at the Gundam, only for it to doge and cut them. "Renchef! Take the left flank, I'll take the right. You two charge right at it when I give the signal." The other pilots just nodded as they moved into position. The Gundam, seeing the enemy encircling him, charged again at the two pilots closets to him, using its thrusters to get close. The pilots, panicking at seeing the Gundam move in closer, fired back with either their machine gun hand or throwing their heat saber, neither of which were effective. Cursing, Renchef and Roher charged at the Gundam's vulnerable back.

As Amuro was about to stab one Gouf, he detected the other two coming at him from the rear. Trusting his instincts, Amuro kept charging at the two mobile suits in front of him. When he was a few dozen meters away, he jumped forward, using his thrusters to gain additional airtime, getting past the two Goufs. Once the Gundam landed, it stabbed one in the thruster pack before kicking it away. Once it exploded, the Gundam tried to stab the other one but it jumped back. Before the Gundam was able to attack again, a rod was able to grabbed the Gundam's leg, wrapping around it before transferring a surge of electricity to the Gundam. Before Amuro could do anything, the final Gouf type B tackled the Gundam, sending the Gundam to the ground.

"Take this, you monster!" Yelled Renchef as he raised his heat sword and thrusted it at the Gundam's head, ramming through the Gundam's two eyes, disabling those two cameras. As he pulled it out and was about to stab the Gundam again, the mobile suit head butted the Gouf before hitting it in the waist with the left arm, knocking it off of him. As the Gundam got up and was about to attack the Gouf, it detected the two other Goufs coming in from either the back and left. Jumping back to get away from the Goufs, the Gundam saw them all regroup with each other.

"You okay, Renchef?" Asked Roher as he helped Renchef's mobile suit up. Renchef, one of the newest members of Midnight Fenrir, just nodded.

"Yeah. Damnit, what do we do? We only got three suits left and we only damaged its "eyes"." Roher just nodded as he looked at the Gundam taking a cautious stance as they surrounded him. Tapping his controls for a moment, he thought up of a plan that could disable or even destroy the Gundam. Thinking back, Roher noticed that the Gundam wasn't using his right arm as much as the left arm. Nor was it reacting as quickly as the reports said it was. Could it be that Ramba Ral gave left some lasting damage on the Gundam and its artificial intelligence? Something that they could exploit? The only way to know is if they try to attack it. Upon hearing that, Nikki was arriving with Leo and Manning. Now with more units, Roher began to think of new tactics that could work. As they surrounded, Roher thought up of a plan.

"Renchef, take the other Gouf and try to outflank him on the left. I'll take him in the front. Nikki and Manning are arriving soon. We need to keep it distracted so that they can have a clear shot on it. If you can, take its left arm. The right doesn't seem to be as capable as it." Renchef just nodded as he and the other pilot began to go to the left of the Gundam. Roher just took a deep breath as he looked at the monster that's been taking so many Zeon lives.

" **At the very least, we can give Hepner and Matt enough time to take out that Guncannon."** Thought Roher before he charged at the Gundam, who got ready. Trusting his instincts, Roher aimed his sword at the Gundam's cockpit just as the Gundam readied its own saber. When Roher was in striking distance, the Gundam lunged at the Gouf with its saber. Fortunately, Roher managed to duck underneat and slide past the Gundam. Just as he did, he slashed at the Gundam's left leg. The heated blade, combined with the force and speed of the slash, managed to cut through the armor and through the leg. The Gundam, now missing a 3rd of its left leg, went down. Seeing the opportunity, Renchef and the other mobile suit pilot charged at the Gundam. Just as they were about to take a swipe at it, the Gundam flew to the flew to the air and brought out its rifle. Taking aim at the two Goufs, it fired it last shot, hoping to take out both. Renchef managed to doge it, but the other pilot wasn't as fortunate, taking the shot directly to the cockpit. Roher cursed at this and was about to fight the Gundam again when he detected two Zaku IIs and a Zaku I coming in from the right. Smiling, he charged with Renchef as the Gundam began its descent.

" **Its over now!"** Thought Roher as the Zakus came and aimed at their weapons at the Gundam. While the Zaku 2s were equipped with standard machine guns, the Zaku I was equipped with a Magellan attack tank's main cannon, retrofitted for mobile suits. Though unorthodox, the weapon's power should be enough to pierce through the Gundam's armor with enough well-placed shots. Roher felt a measure of satisfaction as the Zaku I fired at the Gundam, hitting the thruster pack.

* * *

 **Amuro**

* * *

"Damn." Cursed Amuro as he flew to the air. Though he managed to take out five of the enemy mobile suits, one managed to take a sizeable chunk out of the Gundam's left leg. Vega was trying to compensate the damages, but he said that they'll have to return to the White Base soon as they were nearly out of ammo and the beam sabers were nearly out of power as well. Knowing that they can't do much anymore, Amuro was about to contact Kai when the Gundam was suddenly hit in the thruster pack. The hit damaged the thrusters and caused him to crash into the ground. The force of the impact caused Amuro to bang his head on his screens. Holding his head, he looked to see three Zakus coming at him. Two of them were Zaku I while the last was a II. Pushing down his surprise at seeing such old models, Amuro tried to move the Gundam up when it was suddenly stabbed in the left leg by a Gouf. Before he could do anything, a Gouf's heat rod encircled his left arm that was soon followed up with an electrical current being sent to the Gundam. Yelling out in pain as the electricity flowed to the cockpit, Amuro tried to attack but couldn't move the right arm fast enough before the Gouf began to heat up its heat rod. The now super-heated rod was now slowly melting through the armor and would soon be able to cut the Gundam's arm off if something isn't done. Having enough, Vega took control and cut the heat rod off the left arm before jumping away. Once they landed, the Gundam began to jump away from the mobile suits again and again, forcing them to chase after it. Checking the systems, Amuro saw that the left arm was heavily damaged. Vega was trying to fix it, but some of the more complex system needed to be fixed by the engineers, meaning they had to fly back to get them fixed. Cursing their luck, Amuro then contacted Kai.

"Kai, I need to head back to the ship to get emergency repairs! Can you hold your own?"

"No way. I can't face all these mobile suits on my own! If you're leaving, I'm doing so too!" Kai then moved the Guncannon away from a bazooka round before firing back. The shells missed the Zaku I holding the bazooka and Kai left himself exposed for a few seconds, leaving him wide open for a Zaku II to come in and swing its heat hawk at the Guncannon's waist. Fortunately, the armor held as the Zaku tried to dig deeper into the armor. Before it could pull it out, the Guncannon elbowed the Zaku in the face before following up with several punched to the cockpit. Once he threw his third punch, Kai placed the Guncannon's foot on the Zaku's waist and pushed out, allowing to escape the grasp of the Zaku. Unfortunately, this led the Guncannon exposed to the other Zaku, who fired its bazooka at the Guncannon's face. The rocket went right through the Guncannon's visor and exploded inside the head, causing internal systems damage as well as blowing up the head.

"Oh come on! Again?" Yelled Kai as the Guncannon fired back, but the Zaku I just backed up, now out of ammo. "Amuro, we need to leave now! We can't keep this up any longer!" Amuro just grimaced, knowing that Kai was right. They're low on ammo and need to go for emergency repairs.

"Vega, we're pulling out. I'll contact White Base. You just pilot us out of here." With the situation now dire, Amuro was now allowing Vega to help him out. Now was not the time to engage in a want to prove themselves, now it was time to simply survive.

" **Unable to do so, the thruster pack took a direct hit. I'm not sure we have enough thrust capabilities to fly back to the ship without damaging the pack further."** Amuro just clenched his teeth at that.

"We'll just have to try. We can't afford to stay here anymore. We'll be lucky to take another mobile suit down in our current state."

" **I'll see what I can do."** The AI then began to formulate several thousand different scenarios they could do as well as their possible outcomes. In a few seconds, he had the answer. " **We'll have to divert a massive amount of power to the secondary thrusters, more than they can handle. That'll get us some airtime before we have to use the main thrusters. I should warn you, this may fry out them out after all this. The thruster pack is too damaged and the secondary ones were not meant to handle the amount of power necessary to get us to the White Base."**

"It'll have to do. Do we need to take out any enemy mobile suits?" Asked Amuro as he eyed the enemy mobile suits coming at him, firing their weapons or charging at them. The only one not doing this was a Zaku I with a makeshift artillery weapon.

" **I recommend taking out the one Zaku with the artillery weapon. Before he could do more damage to use or the other mobile suits. May I be the one to take it out?"** Nodding his head, Amuro told Vega to go for it. With permission granted, Vega grabbed the spare beam saber and threw it in javelin mode at the Zaku I with the makeshift weapon. This all happened so fast, that none of the Zeon pilots noticed the beam javelin being thrown before it was too late. The javelin pierced right through the cockpit and through the reactor, causing the mobile suit to explode.

"Manning!" Yelled Nikki as he saw his comrade's mobile suit explode. Anger coursing through him, he glared at the Gundam as it made its escape. "You're not going anywhere!" Aiming his machine gun, the Zaku II fired at the Gundam, which ignored it all as it had many times during its fights with Zakus. Despite this, Nikki kept firing at the Gundam, even as the machinegun ran out of ammo. Once it did, Nikki threw the gun at the Gundam in a hopeless attempt to damage it. "Argh! I'm going to get that mobile suit and its pilot if it's the last thing I'll do. Coward thinks just because he has a better mobile suit and a fucking program, he's better than all of us. Well, I'll show you! Get back here and I'll show you what a real pilot is!"

"Nikki! Enough! You'll get your chance soon." Said Roher as he saw the Guncannon go up with the Gundam, having escaped by using the last of its ammo against Hepner as a distraction while Matt was reloading his bazooka. With their mobile suits onboard, the Trojan Horse began to fly away, still being attack by the Dopps. Seeing the direction, they're taking, Roher contacted Miss Hamon. "Miss Hamon, the Trojan Horse is coming to your area. We'll be on our way soon. Leave some for us, will you?' With that, Roher looked at the survivors.

" **Only six of us survived out of eighteen mobile suits. God damn, that mobile suit is effective. No wonder it managed to defeat Ramba Ral and Char. That thing is an absolute monster."** Roher then looked at the fleeing ship. **"But its almost over. In an hour, that ship is going down and we'll finally be able to take down that Gundam once and for all."** With that, Roher ordered everyone to double time it. They wouldn't want to miss the Trojan Horse finally be destroyed.

* * *

 **White Base**

 **Ten minutes later**

* * *

"Hurry up with loading that ammo!" Yelled Isaac as ammo was being loaded into the Guncannon's shoulder cannon. "And get the beam rifle charged up quickly! I don't care if you need to draw power from the ship's reactor! Just get it done." He then turned to Chan, who was trying her best with Amuro and Vega to repair what vital systems that needed to be fixed. "And get that mobile suit ready. The Zeons won't give us any breaks soon. So go as fast as you can." Chan looked away from her work, to speak to her colleague.

"Understood. We're working as fast as we can." Isaac just nodded before yelling out to the other engineers. With him distracted, Chan sighed and looked at her work. "We won't be able to fix this thing in time. They're just too much damage." Much as Amuro wanted to deny that, she was right. There was just so much that needed to be fixed and little time to do so. The best they could do is just repair the left arm to be somewhat functioning.

"Just fix the arm, Chan. It's the only thing we can fix right now. We'll do the others when the battle is over." Chan, not sure, just looked at Amuro with a worried face.

"But we're so low on ammo and all of our mobile suits are barely functioning. I don't know if we survive this battle. If we do, it'll likely end with all of you dead. I don't want that. You, Kai, Hayato, and Ryu are too important and young to die so quickly." Upon seeing her worried face, Amuro placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Chan. We'll be fine. I promise. We'll come out of this in one piece." Chan, still not sure, was about to protest when the ship was suddenly hit with a mega particle cannon. The beam of Minovsky particles pierced through near an engine block and caused it to explode, disabling one of the main engines. The loss of one of the main engines caused the ship to go falling down to the ground in a ninety-degree angle. Those who weren't holding on to something or were in a mobile suit had either fallen to their deaths or be crushed by falling crates. Chan was nearly one of those people, but Amuro held her down just before she went over the catwalk and too the floor below them.

"Holy shit!" Yelled Isaac as he checked the ship's status. "That blast destroyed engine two! We're falling to the ground."

"What hit us!?" Yelled Kai as he in his mobile suit, grabbing his beam rifle.

"Don't know. I'm opening the bay doors now! Find what hit us and take it out!" Kai just took the Guncannon and went to the edge of the hanger, careful not to go too far and fall out of the ship. Amuro soon followed, walking carefully because of the Gundam's damaged leg. With the two mobile suits then went to the ground and began to hastily scanned the area for where the attack came from. Fortunately, Vega had the answer.

" **There's a mega particle cannon here!"** A screen in the Gundam's cockpit, showed an area with a mega particle cannon hidden behind some rocks. **"I traced remnants of Minovsky particles from that cannon. It must have been the one that shot at us. We need to take it out now before it could charge up again."**

"Don't need to tell us twice." Said Kai as he pulled out his targeting computers and began aiming at the cannon, sweating as he only had one shot left and so did Amuro. Biting their lips, the two pilots fired simultaneously at the cannon, destroying it with their combined shots." ***Sighs*** I want out of this military after this. Let's get back to the ship, Amuro." Amuro just nodded, as the two mobile suits carefully made their way back into the hanger. With the mobile suits inside, Isaac closed the doors and everyone began to brace themselves for the ship's inevitable crash. Knowing that people would die if they crashed, Amuro went over to Chan and opened the cockpit.

"Chan, hop on board. Mr. Isaac, so should you." Chan just looked at him in shock at that, which caused Amuro to explain himself. "Its much safer in the cockpit than out here in the hanger bay, trust me. I don't want either of you or anyone else left to be hurt." Isaac just looked at the boy for a moment before yelling out for everyone to go inside the mobile suits as quickly as possible, saying that its an order. With that declaration, everyone left began to scramble to the mobile suit cockpits with the pilots opening them up so they can go through. Since there were only eight engineers left after the mega particle cannon attack, everyone was able to fit inside the cockpits, albeit it was cramp for everyone. Stepping inside the cockpit, Chan made herself comfortable on Amuro's lap as Isaac tried to make himself comfortable with whatever available space there was without accidentally touching any of the Gundam's controls. With those two onboard, the Gundam went over to the hanger bay and sat down in a corner, trying to secure itself as much as possible to avoid being thrown around like a ragdoll, thus endangering its occupants.

"If this actually works, I'll be fucking amazed." Said Kai as the Guncannon took the other corner while dragging the Guntank with him, holding it in place with its hands. Hayato just nodded as he crossed his fingers that they all survive this. Amuro just stayed silent as he wondered the same thing. As they all waited for the ship to crash, Chan grabbed Amuro's hand and held it tightly as if to give him reassurance. Smiling back at her, he thanked her before bracing himself. Its was only a minute before the ship crashed into the ground. The landing was rough and dangerous. It was only thanks to Mirai's piloting skills that the ship managed to land on its bottom and scrapped along the earth's crust between two mountains and some forestry. Despite this, people still died as secondary explosions appeared all over the ship due to the mega cannons shot and overloaded machines and computers. With the ship now crashed and helpless, the Zeon began to move in with the remnants of Ramba Ral's men in the forefront.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

" **I just detected traces of Minovsky particles, enough for a mega particle cannon shot. It's a few kilometers ahead."** Said Kled as the relief forces ran towards the RV point.

"Are you sure?" Asked Shiro as he kept moving. He wasn't going to let the White Base down. Not when they're so close to helping them out.

" **I can confirm."** Said Scourge. " **We should investigate it. The traces were just a few miles from the RV point. Its likely that the enemy has found the White Base and disabled it."** Agar just yelled out.

"Its best to investigate it. They be in serious trouble from those Zekes!" Shiro just nodded, knowing that the enemy wouldn't use a mega cannon unless they found something worth firing it with.

"Alright people! We're going to those traces! Move out now! Double-time! With that, the force changed course and ran toward the traces of Minovsky particles.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

Hamon was normally a reserved and indifferent woman when it came to the death of her enemies. If an enemy of hers died by her hands, she didn't revel in their death nor would she be proud of it. She would just move on and deal with the next threat to her country and her friends. But, just this once, she felt satisfaction at seeing the Trojan Horse go down, flames coming out of it, and crashing into the Earth. She would even proudly proclaim that she helped take down the ship that caused so many Zeon soldiers to lose their lives in vain as they fought that ship and caused the death of Ramba Ral, one of their best soldiers. And now she was going to enjoy killing the stragglers.

"All units, move in. Don't let any of them leave her alive." Said Hamon in a Magella attack tank. Her men just nodded before they moved in with Hamon in the lead. To their disappointment, M'Quve had only given them attack tanks along with a few trucks with mounted machineguns, saying he couldn't spare much for them. It didn't them too much, however. If it helped kill the Trojan Horse and its crew, then it'll do. Ramba Ral trained his men well on using whatever they could get. A testament to his leadership. As the Magellas moved in, Hamon received a transmission from Roher, saying they're arriving in two minutes. Smiling to herself, she thanked him for helping her gain revenge for Ramba Ral before cutting comms.

" **This is for Ramba Ral."** Thought Hamon as she fired at the Trojan Horse, now in range.

* * *

 **Bridge**

* * *

"Get the mobile suits out!" Yelled Bright as he got up from the ground, holding his left arm. That crash caused him to fly off the captain's chair and into the ground hard. He figured he sprained or even fractured some bones, but it didn't matter right now. Not when the enemy was coming back to finish them off.

"Bright! All the mobile suits are either heavily damaged or out of ammo! They can't fight anymore!" Yelled Mirai, concerned for their pilots. Bright just grimly nodded before ordering it. Sayla, who also had similar reservations, nevertheless complied and ordered the mobile suits out. It was only a few minutes before the Gundam and Guncannon were out, both damaged and low on ammo, but willing to fight for their friends and shipmates. As the two mobile suits walked to the enemy that was firing at them, Bright gave them a salute.

" **I'm sorry, boys. I did my best."** Thought Bright as the two mobile suits were now in the front lines.

"Well, here's hoping I take some of them before I go meet the devil." Said Kai as he aimed the shoulder cannons, still able to see with back up cameras, and fired, taking out two tanks. Amuro just ignored his comments and fired back with his bazooka, loaded with only four shots. Despite the onslaught, that tanks just moved forward and attacked, focusing on the mobile suits. Knowing that he had to save his ammo for enemy mobile suits, Kai charged in at the enemy, relying on his heavy armor to protect him. Despite protest from Amuro, Kai just charged in at the tanks. Kai felt his suit rumble and shake as tank shells hit it, but he pressed on. Hamon, not to be deterred, ordered everyone to target its right leg. With their orders, the tanks focused fire on the right leg. The armor held for the first volley, which most of the shells missed, but the 2nd volley cracked the armor and, finally, the third volley blew the leg apart. Despite this, Kai activated his thrusters in time to make the Guncannon fly into the air and above the Magella tanks, where they can't aim at it because their guns were in a fixed position and can't pivot up. Letting out a war cry, the Guncannon landed in the middle of the tank group, the last intact leg smashing into the cockpit of a tank, disabling it. The Guncannon then fired into another two, taking them out, before grabbing a truck and tossing it into another tank, disabling both by causing them to tip over. It was then that the tanks scattered and fired at the Guncannon. At this close range, the shells had enough kinetic power to break through the Luna titanium armor of the Guncannon and damage critical systems. After three shells hit the Guncannon's neck, the machine fell down to the ground in a thud.

"Damn machine." Cursed Hamon as she saw she only had four tanks and a truck remaining. But this wasn't going to stop her. Before she could order everyone to move forward, the Gundam charged in on them, albeit slowly due to the damaged leg.

"This is for Kai, you bastard!" Yelled Amuro before firing the Vulcans at the cockpits, killing two tank pilots and forcing everyone to eject from the rest of their tanks and fly toward the Gundam. Putting away his bazooka, Amuro jumped into the air and brought out his beam saber. Slicing one Magella top in half, he was about to focus on the others when Vega warned him of incoming mobile suits from the rear. Cursing to himself, Amuro swung his shield at the remaining enemy forces, sending them all flying to the ground except for one, which flew out of the way in time. Knowing he had to focus on the incoming mobile suits, Amuro brought his bazooka again and saw the incoming mobile suits.

They were a mixed unit of mobile suits. Two Goufs, one type A and B, two Zaku Is, and two Zaku IIs. Grimacing at seeing them all, Amuro couldn't do much except stand in front of the Guncannon.

"Vega, is Kai alright?" Asked Amuro. If he was dead, he won't let the Zeons take his body. Now while he was still standing.

" **Scanning now."** Said Vega as he scanned the Guncannon with the Gundam's head. It only took a few moments before he gave his answer. **"He's alive, surprisingly. That stunt had a ninety percent chance of killing him. But we need to get him out soon. He may be suffering shrapnel wounds."** Nodding his head, Amuro didn't have time to feel relieved as the mobile suits surrounded him.

"There he is." Said Matt with a growl, aiming his bazooka at the Gundam, who was aiming its bazooka at Roher. The time has come to finally wipe this monster off, once and for all.

"Keep calm, people." Said Roher, readying his heat sword. "One wrong move and some of us will end up dead like Manning." Nikki just growled at that, wanting payback for his comrade and so many others. Nikki took a step forward, only to have the Gundam point its bazooka at him, causing him to back off.

"Why not charge in?" Asked Nikki, thinking only of payback and vengeance. "We can deal with the casualties. We're soldiers."

"We may be soldiers, but we're not stupid, Nikki!" Growled Matt, angry that Nikki thought up of such a thing. The two were about to argue when Hepner called out.

"That may be so, but what do we do. No matter what, that thing will take one of us out. And we can't do this forever. What do we do?" Hepner asked, shaking her controls as she saw the monster that killed so many Zeon soldiers. Roher just grimly nodded, knowing that Hepner was right. If they tried to move toward the Trojan Horse, the Gundam will react in time and shoot them, killing whoever moved to the Trojan Horse. They'll kill him, that Roher had no doubt, but the amount of casualties would not be pretty. And considering that Midnight Fenrir was needed for Odessa, well, they were in a pickle. And the same problems applied if they just charged in. Multiple unacceptable casualties. As the stalemate continued on, he was suddenly contacted by Hamon. Surprised to see this, thinking that they all died, Roher answered the call.

"Miss Hamon. What can I do for you?" Asked Roher. All he got was a simple answer.

"Take it down." Said Hamon before ending the call. Before he could process that, a Magella top appeared and fired on the Gundam's damaged left leg. Unfortunately, Vega detected the Magella top cannon and warned Amuro, just in time for the pilot to side step and fire on the Magella top, destroying it. Seeing that its back was turned, Nikki charged in quickly, heat hawk at the ready. Just as the Gundam turned around, Nikki's Zaku tackled it the ground and, in the process, stabbed the heat sword into the Gundam's left shoulder. The attack, combined with the previous damage, disabled the arm for good this time, leaving the Gundam vulnerable.

'This is for Hamon! For Ramba Ral! For Garma! For Manning and everyone you killed, you monster!" Yelled Nikki as he repeatedly stabbed the Gundam in the right arm, eventually hacking it off. After hacking the arm off, Nikki raised his axe, planning to bring it down on the Gundam's waist, knowing that was where the pilot was likely in. Amuro, meanwhile, was trying everything to bring systems back, but he got nothing, even Vega had nothing. They could only watch helplessly as the Zaku brought up its heat hawk. As it did, Amuro thought back to his friends in the White Base, his parents, and eventually Chan. He felt fear. Not just for himself, but for his friends. What will happen to them when he dies? And what will happen when the Zeons capture the Gundam? As these thoughts swirled in his head, he could only watch as the Zaku began to bring it down.

" **Chan…I'm sorry. Guess I couldn't keep that promise."** Thought Amuro as he watched the Zaku bring down its hawk. The armor held for the first two hits, but it soon started to heat up as the hits kept coming. After the fifth swing, the armor was bitter and soft enough that the heat hawk can go right through and finish Amuro off. Bringing it up again, Nikki was about to finish this once and for all when the Zaku II was hit by two shells. The shells hit the Zaku in the head, which caused internal secondary explosions to happen inside the suit, which ended up killing Nikki. Upon seeing this, Matt yelled out in horror.

"Nikki!" Yelled Matt in horror as the Zaku fell to the ground. He then turned to see the Guncannon hunched up, its shoulder barrels smoking. "You bastard!" Matt then aimed his bazooka and was prepared to fire it when Hepner yelled out.

"Sirs! I just received word from M'Quve and commander Schmitzer! Enemy reinforcements are arriving! We need to leave now! They're mobile suits, three of which are Gundams! They'll be here soon!" Upon hearing that, Roher looked at her Zaku in shock, which soon turned to anger.

" **NO! We're so close!"** Thought Roher as he looked at the Gundam, now badly damaged and likely beyond repair. He was so tempted to finish it off. For Manning and Nikki as well as the number of soldiers its killed. But he knew, deep down, that he's more valued alive than dead. And wasting time finishing off a damaged beyond repair mobile suit, was something that Schmitzer would frown upon. That is if he survived. Gritting his teeth, Roher ordered everyone to leave. "We got to go! We'll come back later for reinforcements! Now!" With that Roher began to retreat with Renchef in tow. Matt just grunted before leaving the Guncannon alone, having spent some time ripping its shoulder cannons apart and was about to fire a bazooka round, point blank, in its chest. Kai, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief, having thought that was the end of him with Leo in tow. Hepner was the last to go, having taken some time to look at Nikki's wrecked Zaku, feeling sad over his death. She didn't like him at first, thinking he was a hothead and impulsive, she also didn't like that he was put in charge of a mobile suit team and she was assigned as a reserve pilot, despite being having some combat experience over him and actually being in the team longer than him. But as the war dragged on, she truly bonded with him, relating to him over their young age and how the others treated them like junior soldiers when they've proven themselves time and time again. She would even admit to actually considering on dating him once this war was over. But now, she'll never have that chance. Sighing to herself, she saluted the fallen comrade.

"May you find peace, Nikki." Muttered Hepner before starting to follow the others. Unfortunately, her touching moment was a massive mistake on her part. And that was proven to be true when an HE round hit her Zaku's right arm, sending it flying to the ground several meters away from the Guncannon and Gundam. The shooter just smiled to himself as smoke came from his gun's barrel.

"That'll teach you to just stand in the middle of a battlefield!" Yelled Terry as he saw his hit was successful.

"Great work, Terry! Now let's get the rest!" Yelled Agar as he aimed his shoulder cannons at the retreating mobile suits, his team following suit. Before they could fire, Shiro yelled out in the comms.

"Forgot the enemy! Our friends are down and heavily damaged! We need to bring them back to the White Base! And that's an order!" Agar would have protested, but remembering what happened before, he just growled and stood down. With that, everyone began to run towards the damaged Gundam and Guncannon. Upon seeing the damaged mobile suits, Shiro let out a gasp of shock. To see such a legendary suit be damaged so badly, just showed how vicious the Zeons were in taking it down.

"Kled, scan the mobile suits. Are the pilots still alive?" Kled, doing what Shiro asked, scanned the suits for life signs. Once done, he gave him his report.

" **The pilots are alive. Both of them."** Shiro let out a sigh of relief at hearing that. What Kled next said, however, surprised him. " **However, I also scanned the Zakus. One of the pilots is alive. Shall we escort the pilot back to the White Base?** " Knowing that they couldn't just leave the pilot to die, he wasn't sure if the enemy believed the pilot was still alive, Shiro made his decision.

"Take the enemy pilot with us. We're not monsters. Agar, cover us. Terry, Karen, grab the Gundam and the damaged Guncannon." With that Shiro grabbed the Zaku that Kled identified as the one that contained the surviving pilot while Karen grabbed the Gundam and Terry grabbed the Guncannon. The other team was covering them, watching for any enemy forces, as the Gundam ground types carried the damaged suits back to the White Base. Once there, the hanger bays opened, allowing the Gundam ground types to place the mobile suits inside the hanger. Upon seeing the damaged Gundam and Guncannon, Chan let out a cry and rushed toward the Gundam as the ground type Gundam placed it on the ground. Rushing down to the lower levels, Chan was able to arrive just in time to hear the cockpit open and Amuro climbing out. Seeing him safe, she stopped and let out a sigh of relief. Kai, also climbed out, having survived with only minor scrapes and wounds. Seeing the two safe, Chan let out a few tears or relief. Once Amuro dropped to the safe ground, she rushed to him and hugged him. Kai just let out a snicker at that as he dropped down as well, amused to see Amuro's flustered expression. Of course, that stopped when he noticed the captured Zaku and seeing the other Gundams aiming their guns at it along with some engineers.

Bringing out his pistol, Kai walked over to the captured Zaku as people began to surround it. It was when Kai was on top of the Zaku, the cockpit opened and out came a young girl, no older than him. Her hands raised, she slowly came out and spoke.

"You're going to act according to the Antarctic treaty, right?" Asked the girl, a bit afraid. Upon hearing the fear in her voice, Kai just let out a sigh.

"Relax. We're not bullies or assholes like that. We'll follow the treaty, don't you worry. Just cooperate and we'll treat you like the other prisoners we got." Upon looking at Kai, the girl gasped in shock. Raising an eyebrow at that, Kai watched as the girl took her helmet and pulled it off. Kai nearly did a spit take upon seeing that it was the girl that he winked at back at that town. Hepner just blinked as Kai looked in shock at seeing the young woman. Even when she was taken into custody, he was still staring at her vacant spot.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Bridge**

* * *

"I'm grateful for your assistance, ensign. You not only saved my pilots, but also this ship. I owe you a life debt for that." Said Bright as Shiro told Bright what happened. Shiro just nodded at the praise.

"Just doing my job, sir." Said Shiro, happy that they arrived in time to save the White Base. "I'm just glad that we arrived in time."

"As are we. * **Sighs*** Unfortunately, we're in a tight spot. Without communications, we have no way to contact general Revil for emergency supplies. And its only a matter of time before the enemy attacks us again with a much larger force." Shiro, nodded his head at that, knowing he was right, It was only a matter of time before the enemy came back to finish them off. If they deployed so much firepower to attack the White Base, they're not going to half-ass the job. They're going to come back and finish them off for good. Fortunately, Shiro had something that could fix their problems

"Actually, sir, we have a truck with a full communication suite. We should be able to get a message to general Revil if we use the truck to its fullest power." Upon hearing that, Bright let out a sigh of relief.

"Good to hear. It seems fortune is starting to shine upon us again." Bright then turned to Shiro. "Show me and several others to this truck, ensign, I need to make the call personally. In the meantime, have your men guard the White Base and have someone on look out duty. We don't want the enemy to launch a surprise attack." Shiro just nodded before leading Bright to the truck.

* * *

 **A** **few hours later**

 **General Revil's big tray**

* * *

"Hmm…I see. That's very unfortunate. You have my condolences for all the lives you lost." Said Revil as Bright finished his report and request for aid. Revil was stunned to hear that the Zeons have deployed so much to destroy the White Base. If they were willing to expend so much resources for one ship, despite needing everything they could get for the impending Federation attack on Odessa, meant that they truly wanted the White Base gone.

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it." Said Bright as he stood professionally as he spoke to Revil. "Its because of recent events as well as the amount of supplies we have left, I request an emergency resupply immediately." Revil just nodded, agreeing with Bright on this. It's imperative that they get the White Base back up to speed for the upcoming operation, otherwise his plan of having a force attack the enemy in another front won't work.

"Don't worry, Bright. I'm not abandoning the White Base. I'll send a wing of Medea supply ships to your location as soon as possible. A team of engineers will accompany them. They'll help repair your ship in time for the impending operation. They'll be there tomorrow at the latest." Bright nodded his head at that.

"Thank you, sir, I thank you." Revil just nodded, knowing that this was the least he could do for the White Base. They deserved so much more, but alas, he needed them for the operation. Reports of the Midnight Fenrir along with a protype weapon causing havoc to recent raids on Zeon outposts have forced him to play defensive for now. If they could divert one of them away from his forces, their chances of victory would skyrocket. Much as he hated to use people that weren't even in the military, he had no choice if he wanted to limit casualties for his men. He knew it was the best outcome for his men, but he still felt like shit doing it.

"Don't thank me yet, son. There's still an impending operation upon us." Said Revil. "Thank me after we all pull it off. If that is all, I let you get back to it." With that, he ended the call and left the communication suit in the big tray. He'll have to contact lieutenant Matilda to transport the supplies. She was the only one available that he could trust to pull this off without drawing suspicion from the enemy. As he was heading to his office to contact her privately, Selina came up to him in a hurry.

"Sir! You need to know!' Said Selina as she brought out a report for him. Curious, Revil read the report. Upon finishing, his eyes were wide open.

"Its finally here? Whitley managed to complete it in time?" Selina just nodded her head, confirming his suspicions. This…changed everything. He'll have to include another Medea transport for the mission to supply the White Base. "Remind me to buy that man an entire bottle of his favorite wine, he deserves it. That mobile suit will help the White Base immensely. **A good thing too. The Gundam, from what I heard, is beyond repair, even for the facilities in the White base."**

"I'll keep that in mind, sir. In the meantime, shall I give you more reports?" Revil just nodded.

"Do it in my office. I need to make an important call." With that the two left for his office. As he walked, Revil felt some satisfaction at finally sending something worthy of the White Base. Something that the Zeons will dread upon seeing. As well as finally actually starting to repay the debt the Federation had to the White Base for all that they suffered in this war and for what they did.

* * *

 **You know, I'm really not sure how many mobile suits the Midnight Fenrir has. In the game, you could have up to nine mobile suits per mission, three for each named character that is playable. Considering that there are nine playable pilots in the game, that means that, if we're considering that game feature as cannon, the Midnight Fenrir has twenty-seven mobile suits, which makes no sense. And that's not considering that many have multiple different suits that you can choose for them. I would have chalked that up to gameplay reasons, but one of the characters said, in the first mission, that Zeon only gave them enough mobile suits for two teams of mobile suits, which is three maximum for a team. So I'm at a lost on what is canon and which is gameplay purposes only. So, for this fic, I'll just say that Midnight Fenrir only has one suit for each pilot and that some of them have multiple suits of which they can swap out of. And considering that they're a special forces unit, I think that would make sense.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

 **RedRat8- Actually, I didn't forget her or the other chick. What was her name…Sandra? Yeah that it. They were, according to the game at least, was transferred to the Midnight Fenrir after Odessa, before the battle for Jaburo. They'll most likely be introduced when the battle of Jaburo appears. As for Shiro and the others, they'll be there to help out when the Apsalus and the Tri-stars appear.**

 **Thekiller7- Thank you, I try to show that there are good sides to each side in a war. Well the Guntank just needs it treads fixed, but honestly that thing is near useless in a mobile suit unless it was far away from its opponents. But the Guncannon and Gundam are beyond repair, that I can confirm. Though the Guncannon can easily be replaced, you just need to get new components blocks of a Guncannon, which the Federation seems to have a lot of, but the Gundam is a one-off thing. That thing isn't getting replaced with a new one…well identical one anyway. As for the GM…well I guess I can do that back in Jaburo. It seems to be the most appropriate place to do so.**

 **Also thank you for the spreading of the word, I appreciate it. And no, I haven't consider doing that. I have a Deviantart account so I guess I can upload it there. I guess I can upload a few chapters there and see how it goes.**

 **Guest- Yes it is.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- That what I'm going for. Just good. Or mediocre.**

 **R reyes- Sorry to hear that. If it helps, Amuro gets a new Gundam. A better one.**

* * *

 **Revil's big tray**

* * *

"Hmm…yes. That will be more than sufficient for the White Base." Said Revil as he looked at the report detailing how many Medea transports were involved in the relief effort for the White Base. Seven in total. Five were carrying a mix of food and medicine along with ammo and spare parts to both maintain and fix the ship should something like this happen again. One was transporting a core booster of the White Base, a new fighter that improved on the core fighter in terms of speed and fire power. Though it was essentially a core fighter with a booster module attached, it was still a vast improvement over the original core fighter. The model they're sending was a protype meant to evaluate the fighter, to see if it's worth the expenses. It also contained spare Guncannon modules as Bright reported in that their Guncannon was beyond repair and needed a replacement.

The last one, however, was probably the most important of them all. That Medea contained the upgraded Gundam for the White Base along with spare parts for its weapons and to keep it maintained. It was imperative that sole Medea made it, otherwise the White Base's efficiency would be far lower than he required of it. With a final nod, he looked at lieutenant Matilda, who was assigned to take care of this mission.

"I'm sure your aware of just how important this mission is, lieutenant?" Matilda just nodded, knowing full well of the importance of this mission. "Then I won't keep you any longer. Dismissed." Matilda just saluted before leaving. Once she was gone, Revil went back to the ever exciting day of planning and dealing with snakes and wolves that were his colleagues. Upon entering the war room, he was confronted with several officers arguing and debating on what to do once the operation commenced. Upon seeing Revil arrive, everyone stood at attention.

"At ease. Alright, our main battle plan is this." He then pointed to the massive table surrounded by officers and himself. The table emitted a holographic screen of the entire Odessa region, showcasing both their forces and the Zeons. "As we know, the M'Quve has set up four lines of defenses defending his main base with the last two being the most powerful." The holographic screen then showed an image of several long trenches lined up with machine guns and anti tank weapons. "From recent reports, the first line of defense is just composed of several trenches lined up with anti-personal and tank weapons along with an occasional Zaku. This is similar to the 2nd line of defense, just with the addition of one Dabude and two Gallop land battleships. Its obvious that these lines are simply to delay and soften our forces while their artillery pummels us. To counter, I want our Saberfish fighters to scout ahead and identify key strong points in both lines as well as to carry out attack on any artillery they come across. The lines will be heavily bombarded from our big trays and the Guntanks we have. After two minutes of this, we'll have bombers launch smoke bombs to cover our forces as they advance. Our mobile suits will spear head the assault with tank support. Once we pass the first two lines, we'll send a bomber fleet to soften up the last two lines as well as firing our artillery. While they're under fire, we'll attack them in the confusion. The enemy will be in disarray and allow us to move in without too much problems. From there, its all about taking the city of Odessa and mopping up any stragglers. Any questions?" One officer raised his hand.

"What about that new mobile armor? The one that the Kojima battalion slipped through? What's the plan when we across that?" Asked the officer, the others nodding their heads at this.

"Well, should any of you encounter that mobile armor, tell our fighters to engage it. From what I've heard about it, this new machine isn't quite mobile enough to evade a fighter plane. A squadron or two should be able to take it out, so long as they're covered from any mobile suits that'll prevent them from taking a shot. Should that fail, have either the big trays to fire on it or have our mobile suits take care of it. Any more questions?" Upon seeing the hands being raised, Revil dismissed them all and watched as they all left except for one. General Elron, who simply coughed before speaking.

"Revil. This is quite an ambitious plan. Are you sure our men can pull it off?" Revil just sighed at this, annoyed with Elron constantly second-guessing his plans.

"I'm confident that our soldiers are trained enough to pull this operation off. Unless one of our battlegroups fails to catch up with the rest and we're attacked in the flank because of that, we should be fine. Even though this mobile armor is powerful enough to take out a big tray, based from what I heard, I'm confident that it won't be enough to turn the tide to the Zeon's favor, not when the White Base is behind in enemy territory."

"But sir, from what I heard, the enemy have crippled the ship. How would one ship be able to do anything when its badly damaged?" Revil just put his arms behind his back.

"Well, its obvious that we should send them a resupply run, isn't it? I've already sent word to the supply corps. They're sending a squadron to Medea transports to resupply the White Base as well as repairing the ship." Elron looked shocked at this, stunned to hear this, before narrowing his eyes.

"And you neglected to inform the rest of the officer staff of this?" Revil just turned his back at that.

"Well, considering the number of Medea supply ships sent for this task, I would have thought that the rest of the officer corps can figure out what happened to them. After all, we earthlings are superior to Spacenoids, are we not? Besides, this is a secret supply run, it won't do if quite a few people know about it, lest that information is leaked to the enemy." Elron just grunted in annoyance before leaving. Once he left, Revil looked at the door that Elron took, eyeing it with suspicion.

Unbeknownst to Elron, Revil did, in fact, informed several officers and about the secret supply run, ones that Revil can trust to keep it a secret or, at the very least, keep shut about it until it was complete. The reason that Revil neglected to mention it to Elron is because he suspected him of corruption. His forces, for the past several days, been delayed several times, leaving the rest of the battlegroups exposed for a dangerous amount of times. He constantly second guessed Revil's strategies and tactics. Denied sound advice from his subordinates and Revil constant got complaints from NCOs about supplies not being delivered on time whenever they requested them from Elron's forces, despite the fact that there should be enough supplies for a force five times larger than them. There was also the consideration that there were numerous raids on outposts and positions that Elron's forces were suppose to cover. All this, combined with his previous suspicions, left Revil believing that Elron is collaborating with the Zeons. And if the Zeons, somehow, find out that about the relief effort, he'll have several troopers to keep an eye on Elron. He can't afford to have a mole as high up as Elron to compromise this mission.

Elron, meanwhile, sighed to himself. Revil was getting on his nerves more with each passing day. That man was truly different from normal Federation officers. How he managed to get the position of general without the right connections is anyone's guess. As he walked to his jeep, he was immediately approached by his assistant, Judock.

"Sir." Said Judock with a salute. Elron just nodded as the two walked in the halls of the big tray. As they walked, Judock looked around them before speaking.

"M'Quve wants to know if a relief mission is being sent to the Trojan Horse." Upon hearing that, Elron just sighed.

"Unfortunately, yes there is. Revil is sending a squadron of Medea transports to repair the Trojan Horse and resupply it. He's neglected to inform me of when and what route they're taking, so you'll have to figure it out yourself, Judock." The man just nodded before taking off, hoping to get something about the relief mission from the nearest officer in the supply corps. It appears that Revil was completely right to suspect Elron of corruption.

Just a few days after the signing of the Antarctic treaty, Elron was bribed by Zeon agents to feed them intel on Federation positions and plans of attack on Zeon bases. Tempted by the money they offered, Elron agreed and has helped the Zeon occupation of Earth run as smoothly as possible. And none of the other officers were none the wiser of this secret deal. But it appears that Revil was starting to suspect Elron and it made the man nervous. He had no doubt that, should Revil find out, he'll be imprisoned for life. Maybe even executed. To that end, he planned to speak to M'Quve about their deal. Higher risks meant higher reward, after all, and his position as a spy was beginning to have higher risks involved. Straightening his collar, Elron walked to his jeep and left the big tray for his own.

* * *

 **White Base**

 **Hanger 1**

* * *

"Can either be fixed?" Asked Bright as he looked at the damaged Gundam and Guncannon, both having their core fighters removed from the upper modules.

"I'm afraid not sir." Said Isaac as he looked at the report regarding the damage on both units. "Between the internal circuitry and systems along with the missing armor pieces, there's no way we can fix this. They're both damaged beyond repair. No questions on that." Bright just cursed at that. That was the worst news he had ever received. Without the Guncannon and Gundam, their fighting prowess will be pitiful. If it weren't for their backup, all it'll take is for the enemy to send just one Zaku and they'll finish them off for sure. He hoped that the supplies will arrive soon.

"Salvage what you can from the modules, chief engineer. It's the best we can do." Said Bright before leaving. Upon leaving the hanger, he caught sight of Carmine speaking with his remaining troops. Upon noticing Bright coming over, Carmine saluted him.

"Sir, how are you?" Bright just nodded and motioned for him to follow him. As they walked, Bright spoke.

"Good, thank you." Carmine just nodded at that. "How are our prisoners?" With the recent addition of that Zeon pilot, their total number of prisoners went up to five. The number concerned both of them as they had to put all but two of the security team to guard them.

"Well, they're behaving themselves. We put them all in separate cells to avoid them coming up with plans of escape. I have my men keep a constant eye on them still. Don't want any of them planning anything behind our backs." Bright just nodded, thankful that Carmine was taking his job seriously.

"Glad to hear it, sergeant. Remind me to put a good word for you. You deserve it." Carmine bowed his head at that.

"Thank you, sir, but that's really not necessary. I actually prefer my rank right now." Bright rose an eyebrow at that. That's not a response that he's used to hearing.

"Oh? Why is that, sergeant?" Asked Bright as they stopped.

"Well, I didn't sign up to run a desk job or do paperwork, sir. I signed up to be on the frontlines, leading fellow men into battle. If I'm going to be in the military, I want to be where all the actions is. That way, I know that I'm giving my all for the Federation." Bright blinked at that. Never had he heard such a patriotic response form anyone in the Federation that wasn't a military cadet. Usually he'd only gotten such a response from fellow cadets during his time in the officer academy and from young kids, too young to understand the Federation's corruption. To hear a sergeant, even one as young as Carmine, left him stunned.

"I'm surprised to hear that, sergeant. May I ask why you feel that way?" Asked Bright. Carmine just looked down on the ground. "You don't have to say it if you aren't comfortable with sharing, sergeant. It not important for you to share with me." Carmine just nodded, thankful for that.

"Thank you, sir. If I may, sir, you've been the best captain that I've ever served under. You respect your subordinates privacy and care about them and not just the results of the mission. I hope that, after the war, that you become as famous as Revil." Bright just smiled at that, a bit flustered to hear Carmine give him such praise.

"Thank you for that, sergeant. And I must say, you've been a good soldier to have around as well. I'm honored to have you under my command." The two men would have continued with this when Mirai came around the corner and saw them.

"Mr. Bright, I have a message from Revil." Said Mirai as she walked toward them. Giving Bright a letter, she waited as he read the message. He soon smiled in relief when he fully read the contents.

"Excellent. This is great news. If you can, send Revil my regards." Mirai just nodded at that.

"Alright, I'll inform Sayla to tell him." As she was about to leave, Bright suddenly grabbed her arm. Stunned, Mirai turned around. "Is there something wrong, Bright?" Bright just sighed before nodding. The mention of Sayla caused him to remember that he had something to do.

"Mirai, we need to talk about Sayla." Mirai just blinked at that while Carmine looked at Bright, wondering what was going on.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **M'Quve's base**

* * *

In the rear of M'Quve's base, the survivors of the Midnight Fenrir were having a small ceremony about their fallen comrades. Matt and Roher, in their Zaku I and Gouf type A respectively, were holding rifles loaded with blanks, ready to fire them in honor of their comrades, while everyone else was on the ground. Schmitzer, looking at the rifles planted on the ground with helmets on top of the butts of the rifles', took a deep breath before speaking

"We're here today to honor the spirits of Hepner, Nikki, and Manning, three brave pilots that gave their lives to bring down the Trojan Horse. Though we managed to bring that beast down, it cost us three of our comrades." Everyone just closed their eyes and nodded. Though most of them didn't knew any of them for very long, they all considered each other family and were saddened to hear that they all died. After a moment of silence, Schmitzer continued.

"Nikki was a young and brave young man. He was reckless during his first few deployments with my unit, far too eager to prove himself to the others, but he proved to be a competent and skilled pilot, one that I'm sure that would have become one of our very best had he survived. He was so full of spirit and patriotism that he constantly reminded us of why we fight. To ensure that others like him survive to carry on and learn from us. To not make the mistakes of the past generation and make a bright future." He then moved away from one makeshift grave and to another, one containing a card.

"Though I haven't known Manning for long, I knew that he was a good soldier. He fought with distinction in the Gobi desert and I'm sure he would have been an invaluable team member. His mastery in snipping would have been a god send, picking off enemies that would have otherwise pinned us down, leaving our mobile suits vulnerable to anti-MS weaponry. Though he served with us in only on mission, he helped take down the Gundam and save two of my best pilots and that makes him a member of the Midnight Fenrir." He then walked over to a grave with a rose. Looking at it sadly, he began to last of his speech.

"I don't like to place more value on one member of my unit over others, but if I had to, I would have placed Hepner above all others. She was not only a reserve pilot of our unit, but she was also our operator, giving us vital information when we need it. Her cheerful nature helped brighten our spirits when needed and her fiery spirit made us see, along with Nikki, the next generation's capabilities. She was always eager to fight our enemies, but she didn't do so because it was her orders. No, she did so because she truly believed in our cause. That Zeons cause was a just one. But she also wasn't blind, no. She saw the atrocities she committed, even wondered if we're doing the right thing. She even considered defecting to the Federation for what we did during the first month of the war. She probably would have if I didn't see her moping alone in an empty room of a Musai. I spoke to her and she asked why we did such things and if we're truly the good guys in this war. I told her that there are no good sides, only two sides fighting for what they believed in. And that it was up to people like her to either let the atrocities of her side to destroy her or to use them to strengthen her conviction. To ensure that we don't have to do such a thing again. Ultimately, she choose the latter and joined my unit. As a result, she became an integral part of our unit ever since, becoming a baby sister of sorts for us." Schmitzer then let out a breath. "So, it pains me to hear that she'd been killed in action." Everyone lowered their heads in shame, regretting that Hepner and Nikki died. Manning was ready to die for the cause and he didn't care if he died or not, but Hepner and Nikki were young, far younger than all of them. It pained them to know that they died instead of them. It made then angry and sad at the same time. After another moment of silence, Schmitzer spoke again.

"Let us honor their spirits by continuing the fight against the Federation. To fight for an independent Zeon and a quick end of this war so others their age don't die a quick death." The others nodded their heads, completely agreeing with Schmitzer. With his fist raised in the air, Schmitzer yelled out to the heavens. "Down to the Federation and long live Zeon! Sieg Zeon!" Everyone then followed his example and cried out their nation's signature cry. After the third repeat of the chant, the Gouf and Zaku fired their rifles three times, each for one fallen comrade. Once they finished, Matt and Roher got out of their suits and walked towards Schmitzer.

"That was a good speech, sir. I'm sure you did them all proud." Said Roher. Schmitzer just sighed at that.

"No, I didn't. I would have made them all proud by keeping them alive. Its always a commander's fault if a soldier dies under his command. And I failed them in the last sortie." Both men frowned at that.

"Sir, that's bullshit and you know it. They knew the risks when they signed up for the military and they knew that they might die in the battlefield. They were prepared to die for our nations and they did so with pride." Roher nodded at that.

"They also know the risks in battling the Trojan Horse and its mobile suits, sir. We all knew that not all of us were going to make it. Yet they still fought because its their duty and they rather they died rather than some other unit, who probably wouldn't have lasted long against them. Besides, its war, sir. Casualties are to be expected." Schmitzer sighed for perhaps the hundredth time today, grateful for them for trying to cheer him up.

"Thank you, but that still doesn't change the fact that they're gone. Two young individuals that had so much spark in them that they almost made life here on Earth enjoyable." The two men just nodded. "We'll honor all three by fighting the Federation. To fight for our shared goal of a independent Side 3. Anything less is just an insult to them and their memories. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir!" Both men said, saluting their commander. Before they could stop, M'Quve's aide, Uragang, came up to them in a hurry.

"Forgive me, commander Schmitzer, but M'Quve wishes to speak to you. It concerns the Trojan Horse." Cursing to hear that name again, Schmitzer followed Uragang to M'Quve's Dabude.

"What is it that they're going to talk about?" Asked Matt as they watched them leave. Roher just frowned as he recalled that Uragang had a look of sympathy before telling Schmitzer to follow him. And the urgency in he ran spoke volumes of what's going to happen.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good for us." Roher said.

* * *

 **M'Quve's office.**

* * *

"I see." Said M'Quve, tapping his fingers on his desk. Though he didn't show it, he was displeased with this news. "It seems Revil isn't as short-sighted as I once thought. Tell me you have the basic route they're taking at the very least?" Judock nodded his head.

"Yes, sir. They're taking a route that puts them on a direct path to the Trojan Horse. I managed to place a tacking device on them with a laser transmitter. With the right equipment, we should be able to track them and intercept them before they arrive to the Trojan Horse." M'Quve let out a pleased chuckle.

"That's excellent news. Alright, I'll deploy a team to intercept them. In the meantime, tell Elron to play along with whatever demands Revil has of him for. I don't want him to be found out for being a mole until after the operation is done."

"I understand, sir. Best of luck to you in the coming days." With that Judock ended their chat. And just in time as Uragang came with Schmitzer. Upon the commander taking a seat, Uragang left them alone.

"I'm assuming you had finished with your little funeral, commander?" Asked M'Quve, barely hiding his disapproval of their funeral when they could better spent that time on the Federation. Schmitzer narrowed his eyes at M'Quve but nodded. "Good. On to the business at hand. I'm afraid that the Federation is sending a massive squad of Medea transports to the Trojan Horse. Most likely because they want it operational when the Federation offensive starts." Upon hearing that, Schmitzer widened his eyes at that. If those Medeas arrive to the Trojan Horse and get it operational again, then the men he lost will have their sacrifices be in vain.

" **No! I won't let that happen."** Schmitzer then yelled out to M'Quve. "We can't let that happen! It'll be insult to those that sacrificed their lives to cripple that ship. I won't let that happen!" M'Quve had to agree with Schmitzer, but for differing reasons. If the Trojan Horse is fixed as well as their mobile suits, they could prove a problem for his defenses. They'll cause chaos in his ranks and that's something that M'Quve can't afford right now.

"Don't worry, Schmitzer. There's a laser transmitter on the transport planes. We just need to trace it and we'll find the transports. Once we find them, we'll destroy them all and the Trojan Horse will be out of commission for good." Schmitzer relaxed upon hearing that news.

"That's good news, sir." Said Schmitzer. "If I may, would be kindly allow some of my own pilots to take part in this mission. We'll do whatever we can to avenge our comrades and ensure that they're sacrifice isn't in vain." M'Quve frowned upon hearing Schmitzer's reasoning. Did this man not see the bigger picture? Slamming his fist his desk, M'Quve glared at Schmitzer.

"This isn't about revenge, commander." Said M'Quve in a calm voice. "This is about ensuring that the Trojan Horse doesn't become a problem later for us. That is what matters. Not vengeance. Is that understood?" Schmitzer just starred at M'Quve before nodding. "Good. I'll, nonetheless, honor your request, Schmitzer. Choose two of your best pilots. They'll be leading the task group assigned to take down those transports." Schmitzer just nodded before taking off. As he walked, he swore that the Trojan Horse will stay grounded for good. He won't let his men's sacrifice be in vain.

* * *

 **White Base**

 **Brig**

* * *

Hepner was sitting on her bed, scared on what the Trojan Horse's crew will do to her. Despite being assured that they won't do anything to her, Hepner doubted that they're telling the truth. They've been stuck in their territory so long, constantly being harassed by Zeon forces, and they've lost so many of their crew, some must be eager to get payback for them. No matter how immoral they have to be to do so. Holding herself, Hepner prayed that her comrades will save her and the others on this ship in time before they're transferred off to some Federation prison.

" **Please guys. Get me out of here.** " Thought Hepner as she prayed. Unbeknownst to her, the door to her cell opened. She only noticed it when someone placed down a tray of food for her.

"You okay?" Asked Kai as he placed down the food. To his chagrin, he was assigned to give food to the prisoners. While Kai was alright with something to waste time, he didn't particularly like the idea of having to give food to big, burly men that could easily snap his neck if he wasn't too careful. The only lime-light to this was meeting Hepner again, who probably wouldn't try to kill him…probably. But after seeing her holding herself, Kai felt a moment of pity for the girl. She was probably scared out of her mind right now, wondering what they planning to do to her. And, given his time alone on Side 7, he can only guess what she was thinking. All of which were not something that Kai wanted on a girl like her. Hearing his voice, Hepner looked at him.

"I-I'm fine. I'm just cold." Said Hepner, not wanting to be weak in front of the enemy. Kai mentally rolled his eyes at that as it wasn't even remotely cold on the ship. Plus, she had her pilot suit on. Due to them lacking any clothing for her size, they left the suit on for her, something that made the soldiers assigned to check her for weapons uncomfortable, forcing Mirai and Sayla to do so.

"Well, eat your food before it gets cold. Its not healthy to eat cold food." Hepner just frowned before looking at her food, which was basic water and bread. Her stomach growling, Hepner grabbed the loaf of bread and began to eat. With nothing to do and having passed the food to everyone else, Kai closed the door to her cell and leaned on a wall. Upon seeing his stay, Hepner raised an eyebrow.

"Not going to leave?" Asked Hepner, swallowing her food. Kai just shrugged.

"Got nothing to do on this ship. Nothing useful at least. So, might as well talk with the only prisoner that won't kill me in two seconds."

"You sure about that?" Asked Hepner, curious. "I'm from a special forces unit. I could be trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat and could kick your butt in two seconds flat." Kai just closed his eyes.

"Eh, probably. But I know a thing or two on street brawling. I can handle myself against you. Better than the other prisoners for sure." Frowning at that, Hepner looked at Kai to see if he's serious.

" **The nerve of this guy."** Thought Hepner when she realized he was serious. **"He's got some nerve to say that to someone from the Midnight Fenrir."**

"You're going to regret saying that when I finish kicking your butt." Kai just smirked, further aggravating her.

"Whatever you say." Hepner glared at him, wondering just how arrogant he was to not be afraid of a member of the Midnight Fenrir. "Anyway, better savor these living conditions while they last because once the Operation is over, we're handing you over to the Federation. Heard they're not as hospitable as us." Though she was afraid that he was right, Hepner kept a defiant look.

"You're wrong. My unit will come for me and they'll destroy your ship for good. You can count on that." Kai just laughed at that.

"Doubt it. With the backup we got, there's no way they can get you back. Not without getting blasted to tiny bits." Upon hearing that, Hepner glared at him in anger.

"No way that'll happen! We're one of the best units in the Zeon military! There's no way we'll lose to a bunch of Gundam rip-offs!"

"Considering the real thing and one Guncannon managed to fight off over a dozen mobile suits, while nearly out of ammo mind you, I doubt it, even if some of them were from your special forces group. I bet we even shot down some of your comrade in that last battle." Enraged to hear that, Hepner threw her cup of water at Kai, who yelped before ducking, watching as the cup bounced off the wall, and spilled water over the floor. After stepping aside from the wall, Kai looked to see Hepner glaring at him with tears in her eyes.

"Don't you dare speak about my friends like that." Said Hepner as she glared at him. "They deserve to live more than any of you here." Shocked to hear that, Kai glared at her.

"Really? Because most of us lost our home in Side 7 when your military forced us to onto ship in order to survive. We also lost friends, family, and our normal lives when you guys attack Side 7. We were forced into the Federation military because of that attack, with the only other option being incarcerated for knowing about this ship and its mobile suits. Since then, we've been forced to fend off wave after wave of Zeon forces with little-to-no support from the Federation. We all fought hard to get where we are and we've lost even more friends on the way here. So, don't say that your friends deserve to live more than any of us! They didn't suffer the same hardships as us!" Hepner just looked at Kai in shock of what he said, unable to think that was all true. She looked at his angry stare, making her nervous just by looking at it, seeing nothing but honesty in them. Feeling a bit ashamed, Hepner looked to the ground.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you all suffered so much." Said Hepner as she looked to the ground. Kai just recoiled at her apology, surprised to hear it. "I'm still upset over the lost of my comrades. My friends. I only fought with one of them once and I fought with the other for nearly all my time spent on Earth. He was a close friend was a true believer to our nation's cause. He was there for me, like everyone else. He made his laugh and made me so happy. He was a true friend. I was so sad to hear that he died while fighting your Gundam. He was willing to sacrifice himself to end it so that others won't die." Upon hearing that confession, Kai just looked at her in response, looking at her figure. Being forced to live alone, Kai learned how to gauge people by their body language. He can tell if a person is angry by how rigid their body is or how sad someone is by how slack the body was. Hepner was the later. Her shoulders were down and she looked at the ground in sadness. It seemed she truly missed the people she lost in the last battle. Feeling a bit ashamed to having insulted her dead friends, Kai muttered an apology.

"Sorry about what I said. Your friends didn't deserve it." Hepner just looked at him, stunned to hear that.

"Why are you apologizing." Said Hepner, unsure about the apology. "We're enemies, after all."

"Yeah, we are." Said Kai. "But that doesn't mean we should treat each other as animals or something like that. Otherwise we're no better than what we claim of our enemies to be." Hepner just smiled a bit at that.

"I guess you're right." Kai just smirked, knowing he was right. "Sorry, about what I said. You guys do deserve to live."

"Thanks. I'll get you another cup of water. Just stay put." With that, Kai left her alone to her thoughts. After closing the door, Kai let out a sigh.

"Man, talking to a girl is rough." Said Kai before leaving to get a glass of water.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **White Base perimeter**

* * *

"Got anything on the radar, Kled?" Asked Shiro as he kept an eye on the open spaces surrounding the White Base. His and Agar's teams had taken key positions around the White Base, using whatever cover they can use to camouflage themselves. So far, the Zeons haven't made a move on them, but that didn't mean they won't do so soon. They knew that the Zeons won't let the White Base get repaired in time for Odessa. So, they were prepared to fight to defend this ship until supplies were sent.

" **Negative. Its all quiet."** Said Keld. " **Scourge also reports that they haven't encountered anything in their end as well."** Shiro nodded at that.

"Alright, keep an eye out. I don't want to be caught off guard. I'm going to contact the bridge." With that, Shiro contacted the White Base's bridge. Soon, he heard the voice of Bright.

"How's the situation out there, Ensign?"

"Good for now. Sir. It looks like the Zeons aren't here yet sir. They may be trying to get a large force here to take us out."

"Likely." Bright tapped his chin, wondering what the enemy is planning. They couldn't send too much after them or else they'll leave entire sections of their defense lines weak or even defenseless. Nor could they send too few or else they'll be annihilated. What are they going to do?" Thinking about it later, Bright spoke to Shiro again, telling him to take a break.

"No need for that, sir. We're all fine. We can do another four hours straight."

"Understood, ensign, but don't push yourself too hard. I rather not have tired soldiers fight on my behalf when I'm fully capable of fighting."

"I understand, sir. Don't worry. We know our limits." With that Shiro cut the comms and went back to guarding the White Base.

" **He's quite a kind commander, isn't he?"** Asked Kled, having overheard the conversation.

"That he is." Smiled Shiro, glad that the White Base had such an understanding commander on it. "Alright, four hours then we'll take a break. Okay, Kled?"

" **I'll inform the others."** With that Kled began to inform the others of the assigned break time. Bringing out Aina's pocket watch. Looking at it, he hoped to see her again, if only to return the watch.

" **Hope you're doing fine, Aina."** Thought Shiro before putting it back. " **I'd hate to think that you're doing awful as of late."** With that, Shiro went back to monitoring the grounds in front of him.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Bridge**

* * *

"I understand, sir. Don't worry. We know our limits." With that Shiro cut the comms, leaving Bright to place the phone in the captain's chair back in place. Sighing to himself, Bright looked over to Sayla, who was monitoring the comms for any traffic. Frowning a bit, he remembered the conversation he had with Mirai sometime ago.

* * *

 **Flashback**

* * *

 _" **You want what?" Asked Mirai as she, Bright, and Carmine were standing in a, currently, empty part of the ship.**_

 _" **Do you know anything about Sayla?" Asked Bright as he looked at Mirai with a stone-hard face. Mirai just starred at Bright, shocked to hear this. "I just need to know. Please." Mirai just pursed her lips, unsure of what to say.**_

 _" **Why are you asking, Bright?" Asked Mirai after a few minutes. "What brought this up?" Bright just sighed before telling her what Oscar and Marker told him. After hearing his confession and his suspicions, Mirai widened her eyes in shock.**_

 _" **That's why I'm asking Mirai. I need to know Sayla's background so that I can know for certain if she's actually the daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun. Its important to both me and this crew." Mirai just opened her mouth to speak but changed her mind in the last minute.**_

 _" **I don't know, Bright." Said Mirai. "I want to trust you, but I can't know for certain if you'll give this information to the Federation. Same to you, Carmine." Bright looked hurt upon hearing that while Carmine just rubbed his head.**_

 _" **Well, I doubt that high command will listen to a grunt like me about something this big. So I doubt my word will mean anything. But Mirai…" Carmine looked at her. "Bright has been a kind and good officer since the beginning of the White Base's voyage. You don't have any reason to doubt him or his intentions." Mirai soften her eyes at that.**_

 _" **I know that, Carmine. Its just that," She then looked at both men. "I'm not sure if we should be giving this information to the Federation. They're so filled up with greedy politicians and heartless commanders that I'm sure that they'll use Sayla as a means to end this war. I don't want that for her." Bright closed his eyes at that. Though he was still hurt from her words, he understood her reasoning. Opening his eyes again, he spoke.**_

 _" **Mirai, if I promise that this information won't leave my lips, will you reveal what you know about Sayla?" Mirai just looked hesitantly at Bright, wondering if he was going to keep his word. Upon seeing the pleading look in his eyes, Mirai finally opened her mouth.**_

 _" **Alright, I'll tell you." Said Mirai. Nodding his head in appreciation, Bright listened in. "Over a dozen years before the war, Don Teabolo Mass, Sayla's father, was attacked in their own home on Earth from the Zeons. I don't know why, but I believe it was because of his children. You see, Don Mass never had a wife, yet he suddenly had two children. Ones that were around the same age as Artesia and Casval Deikun. I think that the Zeons attacked him because of their similarities."** **Bright stayed silent as he listened in. Already, this was all worse than he thought. "He survived, thank god, but gravely injured. Only one man died in the attack, but I don't know who. While he was recovering, he asked for my father to come and see him. To make a plan to avoid something like this happening again. It was only three days when my father and I visited him. My father told Don that he came up with a plan that'll leave them safe from Side 3. My father theorized that, if they all took residence in the Texas colony in Side 5, they'll be safe from the Zeons as it was close to Side 3. With them so close, the Zeons could keep a close eye on them and deem them not a threat they can't deal with in a short amount of time. Don agreed with the plan and he and his family left for the Texas colony."**_

 _" **And that's the last time you saw any of them?" Asked Bright, shocked to hear that all this happened on Earth.**_

 _" **Yes. It was only after that I saw Sayla in Side 7, that I ever saw any of them again. When I first saw her in Side 7, I asked her why she was on the colony. She simply said that she transferred there to provide medical support. When I asked her why when she had her family, she just donned a sad smile and usually left after that. I soon got why. Don was killed during the battle of Loum. Apparently, all the fighting caused him to die of shock. And that's all I know. Quite honestly, I'm not sure if Sayla is Artesia. But the same could be said if she isn't." Both men nodded at that, unsure of what to think. Bright sighed as he brushed his hair. This was more complicated than he thought. He needed time to sort this all out.**_

 _" **Thank you for sharing this information, Mirai. As promised, I'll keep this a secret from the Federation military. They won't hear this from me or Carmine." Carmine nodded at that, agreeing with Bright. Smiling at that, Mirai thanked the two. "For now, we'll keep this to ourselves. I need time to sort this through. In the meantime, we have more important duties to attend. I'm heading up to the bridge. Carmine, deal with the prisoners. Mirai follow me." The two nodded before doing their respective tasks. As he walked, Bright wondered what to do with all this information.**_

* * *

 **Present**

* * *

Bright was still unsure of what to do with the information. He didn't want to believe it, but it was entirely possible that Sayla could be Artesia Deikun. She was around the same age, possibly looked like her when she grew up, and she had they same hair and eye color as the pictures of Artesia Deikun, back when Zeon Zum Deikun was in charge. Although a part of him was denying that she was Artesia, another part of him was telling him that she was and that he had to tell the Federation. Bright, however, refused to do so for Sayla was a vital aspect of the White Base's crew since leaving Side 7. And she served with distinction ever since, never questioning why they're killing Zeon soldiers, as well as never giving him a reason to distrust her. She had his trust and vice versa and he refused to destroy that trust by giving this info to the Federation, who will likely use it for their own ends. Deciding to keep it to himself for now, Bright waited for the supplies to arrive, hoping that they arrive soon so that his mind won't delve into the thought of Sayla being Zeon Zum Deikun's daughter again.

* * *

 **Medea convoy route**

 **Ten minutes until RV with White Base**

* * *

Matilda, as ever, was watching for any enemy forces in the area. Though she was informed that little-to-no Zeon forces were in the area, she still kept a vigilant eye out as she knew the importance of her mission and she intended to see it fulfilled, both for the Federation and the White Base crew.

" **Poor people."** Thought Matilda. **"They lost their original home in Side 7, forced to join the military under the threat of arrest, and they've been forced to fought off the Zeons alone with only supply drops as a form of support. They must be angry with the Federation right now as they should. If this supply drop is going to relieve some of their pain and anger, then I'm making sure that they get delivered."** As she thought about the White Base and how much they're suffering right now, she heard her comms officer yell out.

"Lieutenant! Enemy attack group approaching!" Springing into action, Matilda asked how many there were. "Five enemy mobile suits with sub flight units. As well as a squadron of Dopps. And they're all in standard formation. They're heading straight for us." Raising an eyebrow at that, Matilda wondered why so many units were in the area in one spot.

" **There shouldn't be any mobile suits here. They should all be in the frontlines."** Thought Matilda as she saw that the glints that will soon be enemy forces coming right at them. Though it was hard to tell, they all seemed to be in attack formation based on how grouped together the glints were. With that formation, Matilda concluded that they knew about their assignment and were here to stop them. **"But how could they have known about this route? Its top secret. There's no way that the Zeons could have known unless…"** Widening her eyes at the implication, Matilda yelled out to her comm officer to send out a distress beacon as well as to get their anti-air guns online. As she watched as the glints soon became mobile suits riding sub-flight units and Dopp fighters, Matilda braced herself for a tough battle. **"Hope the White Base can receive our beacon."**

* * *

 **White Base**

 **Thirty seconds later**

* * *

"Bright! I just got an emergency distress beacon from the Medea supply convoy! They're under attack from enemy forces!" Upon hearing that, Bright looked at Sayla in shock.

"How many?" Asked Bright as he sprung into action. He wasn't going to let Matilda and her forces die in this mission. Not for them.

"Five mobile suits with sub-flight units and a squadron of Dopps. They're requesting assistance." Nodding his head, he told her to call ensign Shiro. Soon, Shiro's face appeared on the bridge's communication screen.

"What is it, sir?" Asked Shiro, wondering what its about.

"Ensign, take a few mobile suits and go assist the Medea transports. They're under attack from enemy forces." Shocked to hear that, Shiro asked if he's sure about that. "Yes, I am! Now go and save those men! I'll be sending fighters to assist you soon." Nodding his head, Shiro yelled for Terry and Karen to follow him. Soon, the Gundam ground types got up from their positions and left to go assist the Medea transports. "Sayla, have all our Core fighters sent out to assist the Medea's and the 08th MS team. We can't afford to lose any of those supplies." Once she relayed the orders to the hanger bays, the Core fighters were launched as soon as they're ready. Upon them leaving, Bright thought about the number of enemies that were sent against the Medea transports.

" **There's too many for a simple patrol that was simply patrolling the area. They knew about the Medeas and their route. Someone leaked info."** Thought Bright as he frowned at the possibility of a mole in the Odessa forces.

Core fighters and Gundam ground types.

"All of you fine up there?" Asked Shiro as they all marched toward the fighting. Kled was tracking the emergency beacon in the Medea transports and found them to be a few minutes ahead.

"We're fine." Said Ryu as he led Amuro and Hayato from the front. "We can take care of ourselves in these fighters. We'll go up ahead and soften them up for you." Nodding his head, Shiro agreed, knowing that they had to get there quickly and distract the enemy forces.

"Alright, but don't engage the enemy mobile suits unless you have an opening. Only your missiles can do anything against them. Once we catch up, let us handle the mobile suits." Nodding their heads, the core fighter pilots went ahead, leaving the Gundams to catch up. As they flew to the battlefield, Ryu told Amuro and Hayato to check their fighters one last time in case they missed anything.

"Got it." Said Amuro as he checked his fighter for any problems. "Think we can stop them in time?"

"I hope so, Amuro." Said Ryu grimly. "I hope so." Amuro frowned at that but knew that he was right. They needed to get their quickly or else they'll lose supplies. It only took a few minutes but they finally arrived just in time to see a Medea go down, having received a bazooka round to the bridge from a Zaku I. "Oh no you don't! Guys, distract those mobile suits. I'll go for the killing blow." Nodding their heads, the other two fighters rushed toward the Zaku I as it reloaded. It was about to fire a rocket at another Medea when it's radar detected enemy fighters. Turning around, the Zaku I saw two core fighter coming at it, just in time to receive a few hundred rounds of bullets into its chassis.

"God damnit." Cursed Matt as the bullets did nothing against his mobile suit's armor. He, along with Lee, were assigned to deal with the enemy Medea transports that were sent to resupply the Trojan Horse. If they managed to break through, there's no doubt that the Trojan Horse will be able to repair itself for the upcoming assault on Odessa. And there was no way that either pilot was willing to let that happen. They lost three of their comrades to stopping the Trojan Horse, they won't let their deaths be in vain. "Goufs! Deal with the Medea transports! We'll take the fighters." With that Matt and Lee started to fight the enemy fighters, trying to take them down. Unfortunately, the fighters speed and maneuverability meant that they couldn't get a good hit with their bazookas. Wishing he brought a spare machinegun, Matt fired his bazooka, hoping to get one fighter. The fighter that Mett targeted nose-dived to the ground to avoid the rocket and went back up, causing Matt to curse. Reloading his gun, he and his Dodai YS went after that fighter while Lee did the same with another.

"Amuro, we'll distract these two, go help the Medeas!" Nodding his head, Amuro piloted his fighter to help the Medea transports. Just as another Medea fell to enemy fire, Amuro fired his missiles at a Gouf, hitting its machine gun hand. The missiles rendered a few barrels unusable and forced the Gouf to look at the fighter coming after it. In a moment of stupidity, the pilot jumped off his sub-flight unit, to the protest of his fellow pilots, and tried to take down the fighter. Acting quickly, Amuro veered off just as a the Gouf's heat rod was about to hit the core fighter. As he watched the Gouf fall to the ground, Amuro went back to the firefight. Knowing that he couldn't do anything against the Gouf, Amuro went to face of the Dopps, who swarmed a lone Medea transport. The anti-air was trying its best to fend them off, but the Dopps were to fast for the guns to track and shoot them down. Just as the anti-air guns turned around to suppress a few Dopps, another Dopp came from the other side and fire at one of the Medea's engines, disabling it. With the loss of that engine, the Medea began to fall to the ground.

"Lieutenant Matilda, this is transport seven! We just lost one of our main engines! We're going down! I repeat, we're going down!" Upon hearing that transport seven was going down, Matilda gritted her teeth. They had to land now. The previous transports were just carrying food or ammo, things that could easily be replaced after the operation was over, but transport seven had the new Gundam mobile suit in it. They couldn't leave it behind so that the Zeons can capture it. They had to land now.

"Pilot get us down now! Order the others to do the same!" The pilot looked at her in shock.

"But ma'am, the rest can make it through." Matilda wouldn't have it, however.

"No, we have to land now. Transport seven has the upgraded Gundam. We can't let it go to waste. Or worse, for the enemy to get it. Land now." Reluctantly, the pilot agreed and the comm officer relayed the command to the other Medea transports. Soon they all began to land near the open area where transport seven crash-landed, which was big enough for them all to fit. As they began landing procedure, Matilda thought up of something. Grabbing a nearby radio, she began to contact the core fighters, hoping she got the right frequency for them to hear. Eventually, she managed to get ahold of them.

"This is Amuro Ray, what's the situation?" Asked Amuro as he fought off the Dopps, who were trying to take the Medea's down. He managed to take down two and tie up three, but the remaining five were still taking potshots at the Medea transports with the Goufs doing their best to try and help them along with their Dodai transports. Watching as this all happened, Matilda gritted her teeth before speaking.

"Listen, get to the currently downed Medea transport. There's a mobile suit inside that could turned the tide of this battle. Get there now and get in it. Hurry!" Nodding his head, Amuro piloted his fighter to the downed Medea, which was currently blowing smoke form one of its engines. Praying that it won't blow before he could get the new mobile suits. Landing near the Medea, Amuro got off his fighter and rushed toward the Medea's opened cargo area. Upon nearing, a soldier stopped him.

"Halt! Identify yourself!" Yelled the soldier, pointing a pistol at him. Raising his hands, Amuro spoke.

"I'm Amuro Ray of the White Base. Lieutenant Matilda sent me to pilot the new mobile suit in this Medea transport. Please allow me in so that I can stop all this." Upon hearing that he knew about the new mobile suit and Matilda's name, the soldier pointed inside and told him to get inside. Nodding gratefully at the man, Amuro rushed inside to get the new mobile suit. Upon seeing it, Amuro widen his eyes in shock.

"No way." Mumbled Amuro upon seeing the new suit.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **08th MS team**

* * *

"About god damn time we got here!" Yelled Karen upon seeing the Medeas land with one going down. Gritting her teeth, Karen aimed her beam rifle at one Gouf that was on the ground, approaching the landed Medeas with a heat sword, and fired. The shot destroyed the suit, causing it to explode, fortunately away from the Medea transports. "God damn Zekes. Going after transports that can barely defend themselves. What are the orders, Shiro?" Frowning at the situation, Shiro made his plan.

"Make a defensive position around the Medeas! We can't let anymore be destroyed!" With that, the team rushed toward the Medeas and began to take key defensive positions around the Medeas. They soon began to fire on the enemy forces, causing them to move out of the way and back away. Upon seeing their offensive had stalled, Matt cursed again.

"Damnit!" Yelled Matt upon seeing the Gundams. This just got a whole lot harder. If they don't take the last of them out, then this whole mission would be for nothing. Activating his comms, Matt yelled out his orders.

"All mobile suits! Ignore the fighters and land near the transports! We'll hide in the forest and regroup with the reinforcements! Dopps, deal with the fighters! Dodai transports, support the mobile suits by suppressing the enemy mobile suits! Do it when I give the signal! We'll try and land the killing blow on them. Do it now!" Doing their instructions, the mobile suits got off their Dodai transports and opened fire at the enemy Gundams, who fired back. Matt, moving away to avoid being shot by a beam rifle, threw several smoke grenades at the Gundams. The grenades began to create a large smoke screen, making the Gundams unable to see anything.

"Damnit. Everyone stay on guard. They'll probably be going for the Medeas so keep an eye on them." Shiro ordered as his Gundam walked toward a nearby Medea.

"Got it." Said Terry as he patted the Medea next to him with Karen doing the same. Shiro, knowing that the cameras were useless, told Keld to notify him if the enemy is moving via the sonar systems in the Gundam.

" **I'm monitoring as we speak. It seems they're moving away from us. Likely to the trees nearby."** Nodding his head in agreement, Shiro kept his fingers on the triggers, keeping an eye out for the enemy. As the smoke began to dissipate, he was suddenly contacted by someone. Telling Keld to take over for awhile, Shiro answered the call.

"This is ensign Shiro. This is a bad time right now. Can you wait later?" Asked Shiro, as he looked around.

"Don't worry ensign. This won't take long." Said Matilda as she watched the Core booster being unloaded from a Medea. "Listen, we're unloading a new fighter for the White Base. It should turn the battle in the sky around in our favor. Can you contact one of the fighter pilots? Tell them to land and pick up the new fighter? The controls are similar enough that they can pilot it without additional training." Shiro just turned his Gundam around to see this happening. Sure enough, he saw a large fighter being unloaded from a Medea transport. Shocked to see such a large fighter, Shiro went back to his call.

"I suppose I could contact them, but they may not be able to. They got their hands full with the Dopps." Pursing her lips together, Matilda began to strategize on how to get one of them to land.

"…Alright, can you get one of your mobile suits to provide covering fire? That should be enough to get the Dopps away, long enough for one of the fighters to land and take the prototype fighter." Frowning a bit, Shiro asked Kled on what he thought.

" **There's a ninety percent chance of us causing the Dopps to go away to regroup. That increased to 95 if we do it, Shiro."** Seeing that the enemy isn't coming out soon, Shiro responded.

"Alright, but let's make it quick. I don't like that the enemy mobile suits haven't done anything yet."

"Understood. Another thing ensign. If you can protect the Medea currently emitting smoke for another five minutes, the battle will turn in our favor." Raising an eyebrow at that, Shiro asked why. Matilda just smiled, saying you'll see. With that she ended the call, leaving Shiro to wonder what she was talking about. He soon, however, shook those thoughts and marched over to get a good sight on the air battle. Once he found a good spot, his Gundam kneeled down and aimed its beam rifle at the Dopps engaging the core fighters. After a few seconds, he fired and scored a direct hit on a Dopp. He fired two more, destroying two more Dopps. With the sudden fire coming from the ground, the Dopps scattered, trying to regroup. Kled, not wanting them to regroup, fired the beam rifle on his own, taking out two more, leaving only a few fighters left. With the fighters gone, Shiro contacted the core fighters.

"Nice job out there, guys! You really showed them a thing or two!" Said Shiro, impressed that they survived. "Listen, there's a new fighter down here. The officer in charge wants one of you to land and take it for a spin. She thinks it'll help us out with the enemy should they attack again. And don't worry about operating it. She said it should work like a core fighter."

"Understood." Said Ryu. "Hayato. Take the new fighter. I'll keep an eye out for the enemy."

"Are you sure, Ryu?" Asked Hayato. "I mean, you're more experienced with fighter planes. Shouldn't you be the one piloting?"

"Which is why I told you to do it, you block head. If the enemy comes back, I got a better chance of surviving than you. Besides," Ryu then looked at Hayato's fighter, seeing that it was leaking fuel. "They managed to hit your fighter in that firefight. You'll need to land anyway. And if they come back, I rather have a fully functional fighter than one that's leaking fuel."

"Alright, I'll go." With that Hayato left to land near the Medeas. "Ensign Shiro, which Medea should I land near."

"It's the one with the big fighter. You'll know when you see it." Nodding his head, Hayato soon found the fighter near one of the undamaged Medeas. Surprised to see its size, Hayato landed near it and got out of his cockpit. Running toward the new fighter, he hopped in and looked at the controls. Remarkably, they're almost identical to the core fighter's controls. Looking out the cockpit, he asked about the new fighter.

"Ah. It's called a core booster, kid." Said a soldier. "Thing is basically a core fighter with a large booster frame attached to it. Also got some beam weapons on it for extra firepower. Give it a try. Its much better than a core fighter." Nodding his head, Hayato began to start up the fighter and sealed the hatch. Upon hearing the fighter start, everyone began to move away from it, giving it space needed to take off. Taking a deep breath, Hayato began to speed toward the opening near him, hoping to get enough speed to take off before he crashed into the trees. Once he achieved sufficient speed, he soon began to pull up. Skimming the tips of some trees, Hayato was soon up in the air.

"Wow!' Yelled Hayato as he was now back in the air. He was amazed at the speeds of this new core booster. It was much faster than the core fighter by a large margin. "Ryu! I'm coming soon. This new fighter is amazing!"

"I can see." Said Ryu as he looked at the fighter. "Looks like we're winning this battle by a large margin." He then contacted Shiro. "We'll try and look for the enemy mobile suits, ensign. We'll also try to keep the Dodai transport out of your hairs."

"Got it. We just need to wait a few more minutes and then we'll…"

" **Alert! Enemy movement detected here!"** Kled then showed a targeting reticle on the right of Shiro's hud. Acting quickly, Shiro turned his Gundam around and fired at where the reticle was pointing at. The blast pierced through several trees and managed to destroy a Gouf. Upon seeing the explosion, the others pointed their guns at the surrounding area. Soon, a few grenades were thrown. One blew up mid-air, causing a blind light to appear, blinding Shiro for a bit. The others began to emit smoke, blinding everyone else. Kled, however, wasn't affected by either and was monitoring the sonar for movement. He soon got it when six large objects began to move at them from six directions with five air units coming from the skies. With precision, Kled pointed his gun to the right and fired, causing something to explode. He then pointed his gun to his left and fire, this time causing something to hit the ground. He was about to turn around and fire behind him when a rocket hit the Gundam in the backpack, forcing it to the ground. As the Gundam got up, everyone heard the fire of rockets, which soon impacted on a Medea, destroying it and its contents.

"Damnit the Dodais." Yelled Karen as she got out of the smoke and saw the Dodai coming back for another pass. Aiming her beam rifle, she took out one and destroyed another with the chest machine guns of the Gundam Ground types. Yet, despite this, the Dodais pressed on. They would have fired another barrage when the core fighter and booster appeared and fired upon them. The core fighter, out of missiles, fired repeatedly at one Dodai with its Vulcan guns', destroying it. The core booster took out the remaining two with its beam cannons. With the skies clear, the two fighters were about to engage the enemy mobile suits but a squad of Dopps appeared in their radar, forcing them to engage them lest they attack the remaining Medeas. With their skies clear for now, Shiro began to get out of the smoke.

"Damnit. Kled, where's the enemy?" The AI was about to respond when a Zaku I tackled him to the ground. Stunned by the sudden attack, Shiro was too busy recovering as the Zaku I was grabbing its heat hawk and prepared to bring it down on the Gundam's head. Fortunately, Kled was unaffected, and grabbed the arm with the heat hawk. Forcing it to remain still, Kled moved to grab one of the beam sabers in the Gundam's legs when the Zaku held his other arm, leaving them in a stall mate. Irritated at this, Shiro fired the chest Vulcan at the Zaku. The close range allowed it to penetrate the armor. Eventually, after a few hundred rounds, the bullets pierced through the Zaku I's armor and killed the pilot. Tossing it off of his Gundam, Shiro looked to see Terry was in a fire fight with another Zaku I, trying to shoot at it, but the pilot kept dodging his shots. Karen was currently in a stalemate with a Gouf. The mobile suit managed to destroy her rifle by grabbing it with its heat rod and sending a burst of electricity to it, forcing her to fight with a beam saber. The two then engaged a close range right, where the Gouf's specialty in close quarters combat was countered by the Gundam's armor and Karen's cautious approach to dealing with her opponent. He was about to assist Karen when his senses kicked in.

Sidestepping out of the way, Shiro saw a bazooka round fly by him and hit the forest, away from the battlefield. Turning around, Shiro saw a Zaku I going into the trees. Shiro was about to engage it when he heard an explosion. Gritting his teeth, he turned around to see a Medea smoking with an unoccupied Zaku I, holding a smoking bazooka.

"Damnit!" Yelled Shiro before aiming his gun at the Zaku as it reloaded and running away. Before he could fire, Keld alerted him to incoming danger. Acting quickly, Kled, activated the boosters and flew them up in the air, which caused them to avoid a bazooka round. Knowing they had to destroy the other one first and quickly, Shiro went ahead and engaged the one that was currently taking pot at them. Seeing the Gundam fire, the piloted waited a few seconds before dodging, using his thrusters to get away, just as the Gundam fired. Shocked to see that the pilot dodged, Kled began to compensate for this as the Zaku hid in the forest. "Not going to try the same tactic twice." Shiro then went to engage the enemy mobile suit when he heard an explosion again. Turning around, Shiro saw that it was the Medea that got shot down before the others landed. Realizing that it was the Medea the supply corps officer wanted him to protect, Shiro widened his eyes in shock. He couldn't believe he failed. Just as he was about to wallow in his despair, Kled spoke out, telling him something was coming out. Stunned, Shiro was about to ask what when he got his answer in the form of a Gundam coming out of the wreckage. Widening his eyes, Shiro openly gapped at it.

" **Holy shit."** Thought Shiro as he and the others looked at the new Gundam in all its glory.

If one could only used a few words to describe this new Gundam, they'll be that its armed to the teeth. The Gundam had a twin-barreled beam rifle, covered by a shield. It had a large beam cannon on the right of its enlarged backpack with a missile launcher at the left. It also had two shields with one of them for the afro-mentioned beam rifle. The other was held by the other hand. The Gundam was colored in the same colors of the original Gundam, which made some of the more superstitious Zeon pilots believe it was the original Gundam reborn in a new body, ready to strike vengeance on them. After a few seconds, the Gundam looked down on the enemy forces and aimed its beam rifle at the one Zaku that destroyed the Medea it was on before firing.

* * *

 **1 to two minutes later**

* * *

"Keep at it, Matt! Looks like I'll be able to take out another one!" Yelled Lee as he reloaded his bazooka. Matt acknowledged the praise before engaging the last Gundam ground type. So far, the plan has worked well. After regrouping with two teams of mobile suits, that took the long way to get here from other positions, and a squadron of Dopps, Matt made a three-pronged attack. Sacrificing a mobile suit, which will be made to do basic things, to force the enemy to fire at it, they'll threw several flash and smoke grenades at them, causing confusion. While this was happening, they'll engage the Gundams from the ground while the Dodai and Dopps attack from the air. With all the fire power, they should be able to take down all the Medeas, thus dooming the Trojan Horse. Unfortunately, the plan went awry when the Dodais got destroyed by the enemy fighters and the Dopps being bogged down by the them soon after, thus leaving the mobile suits to do it themselves. Forced to improvise, Matt told the others to engage the Gundams so that Lee can have enough time to destroy the remaining transports by himself. With no other options, they agreed and so a tug of war happened between them all. With both sides not gaining an upper hand against their opponent. This was fine for the Zeons, however, as it left Lee available to destroy the Medea transports unhindered. There were a few close calls but Matt had his back. After finishing reloading, Lee was about to target an undamaged Medea when he noticed something from one of the damaged ones. Running over to it, he saw, to his shock a mobile suit beginning to come out of the wreckage. Upon getting a better look, Lee's eyes widen in horror and shock.

" **It can't be! It can't!"** Thought Lee before bringing his bazooka and firing at the damaged Medea. The bazooka round went in the Medea's container, thus causing a chain reaction that blew up the Medea, just as the mobile suit made it out. To make sure, Lee fired two more times. After firing his last shot, Lee looked at the destruction, hoping that the mobile suit was destroyed. After a few seconds, he actually believed he destroyed it and began to celebrate.

Oh, how wrong he was. Because after he started to celebrate, the mobile suit appeared in the skies for all to see, which they all did when they heard the large sounds of thrusters firing. Shocked beyond belief it survived without a scratch, Lee was too shocked at its survival to notice it firing its beam rifle and hitting his Zaku. Just as the beam hit, Lee thought of only one thing.

" **It's a devil.** " That was his last thought before his Zaku exploded.

* * *

 **Present**

 **Matt**

* * *

"Lee!" Yelled Matt upon seeing the new Gundam destroy another of his comrades. Yelling out in rage, he was about to open fire at it when his current opponent fired at him. The shot, blew off his right arm, sending the Zaku flying. But Matt didn't care. He fired his round at that Gundam as he landed on the ground. The gundam, detecting the shot, dodged it with speeds that rivaled a fighter plane before descending to face the other mobile suits. Firing its beam rifle again, it destroyed the Gouf that fought Karen. Before the explosion could finish, the Gundam flew over to Terry and to his opponent. The Zeon pilot, scared out of his mind, attempted to run away but the Gundam fired its beam rifle at the Zaku's legs, obliterating them and forcing the Zaku to the ground. With his allied destroyed, Matt growled and tossed his remaining smoke grenades near him. Upon seeing this, Shiro, charged at him.

"No, you don't!" Yelled Shiro as he grabbed his beam sabers, waiting on the edges of the smoke clouds for his opponent. Kled was keeping monitoring the sonar systems for anything. Eventually, the smoke subsided and the two saw, to their shock, the cockpit of the Zaku I opened, indication the pilot abandoned his suit. Seeing that it would be pointless to try and capture him, Shiro went over to the remaining Medeas and the new Gundam as it descended to the ground. Whistling at seeing the Gundam, Shiro smiled a bit. Happy that the White Base got some real heavy duty supplies from the Federation. Though he was still upset over the loss of so many Medea transports, the mission was a success, albeit minorly. Matilda, meanwhile, was smiling to herself. She didn't know why, but she had a good feeling about that Gundam's pilot. Something about him seemed off, but in a good way. Making a note to dweleve on it more, she ordered her remaining men to salvage what they can from the wreckages of the destroyed Medeas and to get their remaining ships up in the air again.

* * *

 **Later**

 **White Base**

* * *

Outside, Chan was waiting patiently for the supply ships to arrive with the 08th MS team and their fighters. She heard about the attack on the supply ships and how the 08th team was sent to assist them with fighter support and she's been worried since. She heard rumors that it was a large mobile suit assault team of over twenty mobile suits with fighter support. That the attack force was just compromised of a hundred Dopps. Or that even Char Aznable had led that attack. No matter what rumor it was, Chan still felt worry, both for the people on the Medeas and the people sent to help them. And perhaps she worried one person above all else, no matter how much her mind was telling her how selfish it was of her to put one person above all others. She was about to say screw waiting and take a jeep to the battlefield when she saw a mobile suit approaching them. Fearing that it was a enemy force, Chan was about to head to the White Base when she saw that the 08th MS team approaching them, waving their Gundam's hands to indicate a mission success. Soon, three Medeas appeared in the skies. Upon seeing them, some crewmen gave out cries of relief, letting tears fall down their cheeks. Chan, in particular, was tearing up a bit as well. But not out of happiness. Out of worry and fear as she saw two fighters escorting the Medeas, one of them not being on of the fighters they sent. Worried out of her mind at the thought that Ryu, Hayato, or, heaven forbid, Amuro fell, she rushed toward the fighters as they landed. When the pilots got out of their planes, Chan walked up to them. Upon seeing that Hayato came out of the bigger fighter, she let out a sigh of relief, though she was still worried.

"Where's Amuro?" Asked Chan. Upon hearing that, Hayato pointed to the 08th MS team coming to them. Sure enough, another Gundam appeared with them. This one looking striking similar to the original Gundam, only a lot more armed. As the new Gundam appeared before Chan, it stopped, and the cockpit opened. The pilot got out and landed safely to the ground via a cable. Upon seeing the figure, Chan let out a sigh of relief.

"New Gundam, huh?" Asked Chan as she rubbed her tears away, feeling a bit embarrassed at crying. Amuro just smiled and looked at it.

"Yeah." Said Amuro. "Let's get Vega installed into it. I don't want him to miss out on this." He then pointed at the Gundam. "Want to ride the rest of the way there?" Nodding her head in excitement, the two teens went inside the Gundam and piloted it to the hanger.

"Well it looks like Kai was right." Commented Hayato as he watched the new Gundam leave. Ryu just nodded as he watched it leave as well. "How did he do it?" Ryu just shrugged and began to check his fighter, honestly not caring.

* * *

 **Later**

 **M'Quve's base**

* * *

"So, you mean to tell me that the enemy has a new Gundam mobile suit." Said M'Quve as he tapped his forehead after hearing Matt's report. "One that's faster and more armed than the previous one?" Matt flinched a bit before nodding his head. M'Quve clenched his free fist at that.

"I see. This could prove troubling." Schmitzer, wondering what their course of actions is, recommended a plan to M'Quve.

"Sir, we should strike soon. We can't allow the White Base to be able to repair itself in time for the Odessa operation."

"Agreed Schmitzer, but I need more time to decide on what to do. You'll get your answer in a few hours. I promise you. Now go and have another funeral for another of your soldiers." Frowning a bit at the rude tone that M'Quve used, Schmitzer agreed and he and Matt left him alone, wondering on what to do with this development.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

"I see. And you're certain of this?" Asked Revil as Matilda reported back to him about the mission. To hear how it went, left him ashamed to have the Medeas without escorts. Unfortunately, he needed every mobile suit and fighter planes for this operation so he could give any to the Medeas. After hearing about this, however, he should have spared a few to escort them. They may have been able to save a Medea or two from this disaster. But what was equally disastrous was that it seemed that the enemy knew about the mission and the route they would be taking. And since only a few knew of this mission, Revil knew that there was a mole onboard. And it was one in a high enough position, no doubt.

"I'm positive, sir. They enemy was in attack formation the entire time and they were heading straight for us. There's no denying it. We have a mole." Revil nodded, agreeing with her.

"I'm sorry for your loss Matilda. You have my condolences. Rest assured, I'll make sure that this mole is brought to justice for them. You can count on that."

"Thank you, sir. In the meantime, I'll be trying to repair the White Base in time for Operation Odessa." Revil nodded again before telling her that was all. Once she ended the call, Revil walked out of this office. Eager to get to the bottom of this mole business. And he had a sneaking suspicion he knew who it was.

* * *

 **For all those wondering, the new Gundam is the Full Armor Gundam, the thunderbolt version. To be honest, I actually had a hard time which new Gundam to give Amuro. It was either the Heavy Gundam, the original Full Armor Gundam, the thunderbolt Full Armor Gundam, and the Alex. I spent three days on the matter, and I came to my conclusion to use the thunderbolt Full Armor Gundam. The original was too slow and heavy for Amuro to use. The Alex was too far in the war to be used this early. Plus, it was built because Amuro's newtype powers were causing him to react to quickly for the Gundam to keep up. So that left the Heavy Gundam and the thunderbolt Full Armor Gundam. I compared the pros and cons of using either one and I ultimately decided to use the Full Armor one. It seemed to be the best of them all for Amuro to use, that isn't suppose to be built this early in the war, and it does its job as a heavy-hitting mobile suit arguably better than the other two. So I went with this one. Feel me to voice your opinions on me using this suit. I would like to hear your opinions on the matter. Also before I leave, I'd like to leave a little snippet of info about this version of the Full Armor Gundam. I'll do more of these if they're well-received.**

 **Full Armor Gundam Mark II-As the White Base and its complement of mobile suits continued to score victory after victory against the Zeon forces, Revil, with the backing of Tianem and Project V scientist Whitley, purposed a program that was designed to supplement and further increase the combat capabilities of the Gundam. Once they had approval from the other generals in the military, Whitley and a team of engineers began the program. The program was called the Full-Armor System and Weapon System (FSWS). Over its lifetime, the program had developed several options packs to increase the Gundam's already considerable power. The most promising design was the Full Armor Gundam, which vastly increased the Gundam's firepower and armor.**

 **However, due to the Full Armor Gundam's massive increase in weight, it suffered a sharp drop in mobility which the new thrusters could not sufficiently compensate for. It was deemed that the loss in speed and maneuverability would be unacceptable and the Full Armor Gundam never left the development stages. However, doctor Whitley, seeing the design's potential, took the plans and spent many days and nights trying to revamp the design. Eventually his effort culminated in the Full Armor Gundam Mark II.**

 **This new suit featured discarded the idea of additional armor in favor of additional thrusters to improve maneuverability. It also replaced some of its weapons for beam weapons, which arguably improved the suit's fire power. To fuel all these weapons and thrusters, the suit was given a more powerful generator as well as a secondary one on its enlarged backpack. Overall, the Mark II focused more on increasing the firepower and speed of the RX-78, rather than its firepower and armor.**

 **However, not everything about this suit was all good. It had a few glaring weaknesses. For one, the suit can easily run out of fuel if the pilot is not careful enough. It could also run out of energy if they used the beam weapons too quickly as well. Also, surprisingly, the suit lacked Vulcan guns that the original had, which forced it to use its more powerful weaponry to kill unimportant targets, like Dopps or Trucks. Despite these flaws, the mark II was approved and the unit was sent to Odessa, where it'll be delivered to the White Base for the RX-78 pilot, Amuro Ray.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

 **RedRat8- I just find it odd that the Thunderbolt version didn't include Vulcans. In my opinion, they're a good options against fighter planes and the like.**

 **R reyes- She's not going to be included in the crew. It wouldn't make any sense for her to join the crew and have a logical explanation for it. After all, she's still a special forces pilot that caused quite some havoc against the Federation. There is no way that the Federation will allow a POW like Hepner to stay in the White Base for very long after Operation Odessa is over. Though she'll most likely appear more when sequels come in the future, especially with chapters involving Kai.**

 **I guess being in space can help compensate for it.**

 **Sleggar would most definitely be given a core booster as that's his specialty, though I can imagine he won't mind if he pilots a mobile suit if he has to. Ryu will get a mobile suit first as he has more experience then Sleggar in those kind of machines. More pilots will show up. No denying that. Maybe right after the war on Earth is over and they can every single pilot to space so they can fight the more important battles.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- Lo is in a separate unit, but I'll include him when the Thunderbolt Sector become relevant as, from what I'm able to discern, the Thunderbolt sector is able to allow the Federation into another route to A Baoa Qu. Or perhaps we'll see him when Jaburo comes.**

 **Guest- I suppose I could have. No denying that.**

 **To be honest, I found the sub arm shield thing kind of ridiculous. Funny and entertaining to see, but kind of silly at the same time.**

 **The WB crew may get things like the GM command and GM sniper when its logical to give them those as those things were some of the best mass produced suits the Federation had to offer in the One Year War period.**

* * *

 **Revil's Big Tray**

 **Command center**

* * *

Revil was currently pacing around as the assembled officers began to look at each other, wondering what was going on. After a few more seconds of pacing, Revil looked at the men.

"I'll make this brief. The Medea transports sent to aid the White Base have been ambushed by Zeon forces." Upon hearing that, the men began to mumble, wondering how the Zeons managed to find them. "While the most important have survived and repairs of the White Base are ongoing, the fact that the Zeons found them is discerning. Especially since they had over three mobile suits with them." That caused people to look at Revil in shock. There was only one logical explanation for such a force. Someone had leaked the information to the enemy. And since they're the only ones that knew, that meant that one of them was a traitor. Before any could make excuses, Revil spoke up.

"First and foremost, I want you to all know that I believe most of you are innocent and would never betray the Federation to the Zeons. However, the fact that we have a potential mole in our ranks is something that we cannot afford to have. This upcoming operation will decide the course of the war. So, as a precaution, I'm assigning you all to have an armed escort until the end of this operation. They'll follow you wherever you go and will be keeping an eye on you all to ensure that none of you is the mole." A few frowned at that. They didn't like the idea of having armed guards that were keeping an eye on them to make sure they weren't moles. A few others were angry. They served faithfully in the Federation for years and to have that loyalty questioned now was an insult to them.

"Sir, that's insulting, and you know it!" Yelled an officer with a few others nodding in agreement. "We served for years in the Federation, fought against the Zeons for the entirety of this war, and you reward us with this?" Revil, seeing where the man was getting at, raised his hand.

"Colonel Loomis, I understand your anger and frustration. But understand my position. If we have a mole in high-ranking position, that could spell disaster for us. They'll be able to inform the Zeons of our entire attack strategy, all of the battlegroups' positions, and might even be able to sabotage one of our battlegroups as well. They can turn the tide of this operation to the Zeon's favor and we can't afford that. A lose here can…no will, spell doom for the Federation. So please. Swallow your pride and allow the men assigned to escort you do their job. If not for me, then do so for the nation that you all proudly serve." A few men grumbled in dissatisfaction at that, still not liking these arrangements, but nodded. "Thank you. Rest assured, I'll write you all an apology after this is over. Perhaps even send whatever wine you all love. That is if we win. That is all, dismissed." With that, the men all left. All except one. Elron just glared at Revil, who glared back. The two generals starred down at each other before Elron left. With Elron gone, Revil began to leave as well. Upon leaving the command center, Selina came up to him.

"How'd it go, sir?" Asked Selina as she walked with him.

"Just as well as I thought it will go." Said Revil. "Perhaps even better." Selina looked around them for a moment before speaking in a whisper.

"You still think Elron is the mole?" Revil just nodded. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Elron. The man was acting strangely, even for him, for the past few weeks. And all the complaints from NCOs' and, even, Elron's 2nd in command, left Revil with suspicions that it was indeed Elron. Perhaps even his aide, Judock, was involved. The man followed Elron every movement and seemed to be quite loyal to him.

"Yes, I believe its him. He's been acting strange as of late. And his performance in the past few days are atrocious. Even for him." Revil just sighed to himself. "Though I doubt that, even with those guards, that we'll be able to catch him in time before the operation starts. We need damning proof before the operation start or else we'll have a mole in a high-ranking positions. And we can't afford to have that." Selina just nodded her head as she looked into Revil's eyes. She saw the frustration in them and how he wanted to catch the mole before its too late. Biting her lips, she wondered what she could say to help in this situation. She then suddenly got an idea.

"Sir, I think I got an idea." Looking at her, Revil told her to go on. "In Matilda's report, she said that they found a laser tracking device on their transports. That how the Zeons found them, right?" Revil just nodded remembering that part in her report. During their unloading of the supplies to the White Base, a Medea officer found a laser tracking device on one of the Medeas' that must have been how the Zeons found them. "The mole or maybe one of his subordinates must have planted the device on one of the Medeas' before takeoff. That's the only time that they could have done it. If we ask the supply corps for who were near the Medeas' we could find out who planted the tracker in the first place." Revil nodded.

"And if we find out who planted it, we may be able to trace them back to the mole. Excellent thinking, Mrs. Agi. Can you speak to the supply corps then? I'm afraid I can't do so without drawing much attention. You on the other hand." Selina just nodded, understanding. People wouldn't mind if it was just her inspecting the supplies. She was well known for being uptight when it came to supplies. The supply corps wouldn't bat an eye if she came for an inspection.

"I'll talk with them right now, sir." Revil just nodded before leaving. Once he was gone, Selina went to the supply corps barracks, hoping to get to the bottom of this mole business before something bad happens in Odessa.

* * *

 **Zeon lines**

 **M'Quve's base**

* * *

"Hmm…Are you sure that sending them was a good idea?" Asked M'Quve as he talked with another officer, who was stationed on Granada, Lady Kycilia's base of operations. "…I understand. I'll be sure to give them as much support as I can possible can give." With that M'Quve ended the call, sighing to himself. It seemed Kycilia wasn't happy with what was happening in Odessa. Not only did he fail to wipe out the Trojan Horse, but he lost four members of the Midnight Fenrir against it. He knew because the officer told him that she'd wish to speak with him after the battle for Odessa was over. Somehow, he knew that he wasn't going to like that conversation. However, considering the circumstances surrounding Odessa, she allowed him to remain in command, knowing that he was good as a battlefield commander. Not only that, but she was sending another ace team to assist in dealing with the Trojan Horse, the Black Tri Stars.

He knew of them and, quite frankly, he wasn't too thrilled on having them here. Though they were skilled, he will admit, they were rather upbeat and loud for his tastes. Often times, he got a headache whenever he meet the three. Plus, their behavior was more akin to loud and annoying teenagers than actual soldiers. Still, if they can take out the Trojan Horse, he'll tolerate their behavior. Going back to more important matters, he looked at his defenses.

If what Elron had told was correct, Revil planned to start the attack by doing an airstrike on his positions, followed soon after with a smoke screen to cover his mobile suits and armored tanks. M'Quve had made sure that extra anti-air guns were sent to the first two lines as well as additional anti-armor weapons. Though he knew the two lines will still be breached easily, he wanted the lines to hold for a little longer so that his artillery can zero in on the enemy and pound them into submission. That fool Revil, he had no idea what he's being lead into. If all goes to his plan, M'Quve will be able to defeat a force several times larger than his own and that will raise his standing in the military quite a bit. Not to mention, it may even cause the war to end with him as the reason for doing so. He could just imagine all the praise that he'll get for such an achievement. Lady Kycilia may even take him as her right hand man, the one that'll enforce her will when she takes over the Principality of Zeon. Smiling to himself, he began to go over his strategy again. Everything needed to be perfect in order for his plan to work.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **White Base**

* * *

"Will you be done in time, colonel?" Asked Matilda as she and the engineering colonel were checking the White Base's engines.

"Yes ma'am." Said the colonel as he checked the engines again. "If we're not interrupted, we should be able to get this ship working again in the morning." Matilda smiled at that.

"That's good to hear. I'll let you get back to it." With that Matilda began to leave the engine room. After going through the decontamination process, she removed her radiation suit and was walking toward the bridge of the White Base. As she was doing so, she caught some of the White Base's crew, particularly the young men, were taking quick glances at her or whispering to their colleagues about something, most likely her. Giggling inside, she knew what was going on in their heads. Being forced to fend off the Zeons with no support from the Federation, aside from her and her supply corps, it was no surprise to her that they see her as an angel. Or a sign of good fortune. She also wouldn't be surprise if some of them had a small crush on her. It's unfortunate to them that she was already engaged to a man in the Federation military named Frank Woody. They planned to get married after Odessa, which meant that her want to survive just increased, though not to the point that she'll refuse to send relief to the White Base. She refused to let this new ship and its crew be left for dead by the Federation when she could have helped them. It'll go against her own moral compass and the honor of the supply corps. Plus, she wouldn't have been engaged to Woody if she was that heartless. Taking a deep breath, she soon arrived at the bridge and gave her report to Bright, who was talking to an ensign Shiro.

"Alright, continue to keep an eye on the perimeter. We're at our most vulnerable right now so I want all available pilots to be on standby." Said Bright to Shiro, who nodded before taking off. As the man was gone, Bright turned to Matilda, who was patiently waiting for her turn. "What's the situation on the ship, lieutenant?"

"Well, the damage wasn't as extensive as we once thought. With luck, we'll be able to get the ship running in the morning." Bright let a small smile grace his face when he heard that.

"That's excellent news, lieutenant, but I doubt the enemy will let that happen." Matilda nodded, fully agreeing with Bright. Now that they knew that the White Base had a new gundam-type mobile suit, one more powerful than the original, she had no doubt they'll send an elite strike force to take them out. It may be their last chance to do so before the ship was able to move again.

"I'll have my remaining Medeas' conduct recon in the area if that'll help." Bright nodded.

"Just tell them to be careful. They're not the stealthiest planes in the Federation arsenal." Matilda just twitched at that, trying hard not to laugh.

"I'll be sure to tell them that." With that Matilda left the bridge. Once she was gone, Bright looked at Sayla, who was talking with Mirai.

" **After Odessa is over, I'm going to talk with her about my thoughts. It's a perfect time to do so."** Thought Bright as he thought back on his theory that Sayla is actually Zeon Zum Deikun's daughter. If its true, then god help them all.

* * *

 **Hanger Bay**

* * *

"Well, this is quite a powerful machine." Said Al as he looked at the new Gundam. Though he wasn't able to return to active duty just yet, he was able to walk freely around in the ship if he wanted to. So, when he heard that there was a new Gundam, he instantly marched down to the hanger bays to see it. And he was impressed. "I feel like it could take down an entire army by itself."

"You might actually be right on that. Look at its specs." Said Isaac as he handed a schematic to Al. "Damn thing is an improvement over the original in just about every area besides armor. Only difference is that it doesn't have Vulcan guns in it."

"Yeah but those things are near worthless. What's the point in having them if they can't do shit against a mobile suit?" Isaac then hit Al in the head.

"The point in them is so the mobile suit can engage enemy fighters without wasting the more powerful weapons. Plus, they can damage things like a mobile suit's cameras or shoot down missiles. C'mon Al! You're suppose to be good at this." The two then began to argue with each other, causing Chan to sigh as she went back to work on the Gundam with Amuro.

"They're quite a bunch." Said Amuro, hiding his amusement at seeing the two duke it out again. He always got a laugh whenever he saw them fight over the smallest of things.

"I know." Said Chan as she looked at Amuro. "They're a handful at times, but I like them nonetheless. They've been there for me during my time in Luna II. They took me in when no other engineer would have me. If it weren't for them, I would be stuck in something trivial like maintaining the base's air conditioning or fixing a coffee machine."

"Well, then I'm grateful for them. Because you wouldn't have been assigned here otherwise." Chan just smiled at that.

"Same here. I meet such wonderful people like you, Sayla, Kai, and Hayato. You're all such wonderful people. Its just a shame that war causes so much suffering to people that don't deserve it." Amuro just nodded sadly at that. He wondered how many more orphans, and widows will be made until this war ends.

"Yeah." Said Amuro as he checked the Full armor Gundam's systems for the last time. "Alright, Vega should be installed now. You can hear us, Vega?" The Gundam then started to shake before they started to hear a voice.

" **Affirmative."** Said Vega in his gentleman's voice. **"All systems are a go. I must admit, this new suit is far roomier than the last one."**

"Roomier?" Asked Amuro as he and Chan got out of the cockpit and saw the Gundam was flexing its fingers. "How is it roomier?"

" **This suit must have been built to house an AI in mind. There's far more generous space for me to work with. Think of both suits like that extra space you have in a memory drive for a computer. I had to adjust several programs and systems in order to fit into the original Gundam because I was introduced late into the project. With this one, however, I can fit perfectly in without adjusting the Gundam's systems. Other than that,"** The Gundam then shrugged. **"I felt like I should mention it."** The two laughed upon hearing that.

"Alright, so do we need to do a test run?" Asked Amuro. Vega just nodded, calculating a basic test of the Gundam can help him familiarize the Full Armor Gundam's systems. "Alright, lets get going. Just let me change and we'll get going."

"I'll inform Bright about this. He shouldn't mind a lot." Amuro nodded at Chan before leaving to get his pilot suit. Once he was gone, Vega looked at Chan, who continued to look at the direction that Amuro took. He noticed that the two were acting far friendlier than what professionalism dictated. Is it possible that they…

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **M'Quve's base**

* * *

M'Quve tried his best not to sigh or twitch his face as Gaia, the leader of the Black Tri stars, laughed like a man who drank too many beers while holding his shoulder. The Black Tri stars had just arrived with their new mobile suits, the MS-06 Doms, Zeon's new heavy assault mobile suits. He remembered sending only one to Ramba Ral and he failed even with that powerful mobile suit. He'd hoped that the Black Tri Stars fared better because he can't afford to have that new, powerful Gundam in his lines. It'll ruin his entire strategy. Once Gaia was done laughing, he began to shake M'Quve, to his frustration.

"Just point us to where that Trojan Horse is, boss, and we'll swat it so hard that it'll be just a smear on the windshield." M'Quve just sighed before telling Gaia the coordinates. "Alright! Mash! Ortega! We got a ship to blow up and some mobile suits to squash!" The other two aces cheered out loud, also like drunken men. This time, M'Quve sighed, feeling a headache was approaching.

"I'll be sending some additional Zakus to assist you." Said M'Quve, catching Gaia's attention. "They've these have been built from the ground up with thrusters' similar to the ones' used in your Doms. They should be able to catch up with you and provide additional assistance against the Trojan Horse and its mobile suits."

"Ah! You do love us!" Gaia then brought M'Quve closer to his chest, much to the man's discomfort. "But you didn't need to do that! Just us three can take care of them cheap, Federation rip-offs you call mobile suits! They won't even lay a scratch on us." M'Quve just narrowed his eyes at that.

"If you didn't already know, those cheap, Federation rip-offs beat off the Red Comet several times in a row, killed Garma despite being significantly outnumbered, killed Ramba Ral, one of our best pilots, and killed several members of the Midnight Fenrir, one of our most decorated special forces units. If you think that you'll prove better than them, let me assure you this. Many have tried before you, all of whom have similar skill levels, perhaps higher, than you, and they all failed. Proceed with caution." Gaia just sighed before nodding.

"Relax. Just cause we talk like one, doesn't mean we're hill billies! We got a strategy that'll blow them all away! Just you wait!" With that the Black Tri stars then ran to their Doms and began to take off, leaving M'Quve to go get some medication for the headache he was having.

* * *

 **Amuro's room**

* * *

After putting on his pilot suit, Amuro closed the door leading to his room and began making his way to the hanger bay. As he was walking, he bumped into Fraw, who was carrying Haro, who was flapping its wings around and blinking rapidly.

"Is something wrong, Fraw?" Asked Amuro as he watched Haro flap his wings around. Fraw just frowned as she spoke.

"Well, I saw Haro in the hanger bay recently, looking at your new mobile suit. I needed his help with taking care of the kids so I took him away. Now he won't stop." Raising an eyebrow at this, Amuro looked at his invention.

"You okay Haro. What's the matter?" Haro just looked at Amuro, still blinking.

" **Want to go back. Want to go back."** Blinking at that, the two looked at Haro.

"Why is that Haro? You want to looked at Vega?" Haro then stopped before nodding. That caused Amuro to looked at Fraw, who looked back with confusion.

"Why would Haro want that?" Asked Fraw. She knew that both were AI, with Haro being one at the bare-bones definition of one, but she never thought that the little robot will want to stare at Vega. Amuro just stroked his chin.

"Well, I guess that, since Vega is the first other AI that Haro has met, he could simply be curious. I mean, he's the only other machine life on the ship. I guess its just Haro being curious and wants to get to know Vega. Isn't that right, Haro?" Haro then flapped his wings in agreement, causing Amuro to nod. "If you wanted that, you could have just asked me." Amuro then looked at Fraw. "Hey Fraw, is it alright if Haro will spend time with Vega. I promise it will only be for a couple of minutes." Fraw just pursed her lips, wondering if that was a good idea. She really didn't mind Haro meeting Vega, on the contrary, based on what she heard of the military AI, it sounds like the two will get along just fine. But, she kind of needed him with the kids, who absolutely loved the little robot.

"I don't know. The kids will be disappointed that Haro isn't with me. They love to play around with him. I don't know what to do without him." Amuro just scratched his head, wondering on what to do as well. The kids were not allowed in the hanger bays, on the grounds that they may intrude on people doing important work that may be the deciding factor on whether the White Base lived or not. He knew that, when he was off fighting or talking with Chan, Haro usually stayed with Fraw and the kids, catering to what they wanted from it, which is usually just to play around and help with alerting people of food. But now that Haro had something it wanted to do by itself, Amuro wondered if they should allow it to do so. The kids will be disappointed, sure, but Haro will be disappointed if it won't talk to Vega.

"Can you just tell them that Haro has something very important it needs to do? And that he'll be back as soon as he's done?" Fraw just looked at Haro, looking at his innocent face. It was as if he was begging her to allow him this. Frowning a bit, she looked at Amuro.

"I guess, but can it only be for a few minutes? You know how they can be when they don't get what they want." Amuro nodded, promising her that it will only be for a few minutes. With that, Fraw gave Haro to Amuro, who then proceeded to rush back to the hanger bay with the invention. Once he was gone, Fraw sighed to herself and ran to where the children were.

* * *

 **Hanger bay**

* * *

"Alright Haro, ready to meet him?" Asked Amuro to his invention, who nodded rapidly with excitement. Smiling a bit, Amuro recalled when he first showed his invention to his dad. He had made Haro during his free time in Side 7, as a sort of side project to keep himself busy while his dad was away. Though the man looked unimpressive with what Amuro had created in his spare time, the man's mouth twitched a bit upon seeing the look of happiness when he told his son that he did a fine job with making Haro. Feeling a bit of sadness for his dad, Amuro squashed that away and looked at Chan and Vega talking, likely over the new Gundam. Vega was the first to notice Amuro coming with his creation. Remembering that he spotted the little ball-shaped robot a few times, Vega questioned why it was here.

" **May I ask why you're bringing that here, Amuro?"** Asked Vega as Amuro brought it over. Chan watched with curiosity as Amuro placed the robot down, who then began to roll over to Vega. Upon getting near the railing, Haro switched to his biped mode and looked at the Gundam, which looked back with its own curiosity.

"Well, Haro actually wanted to come over here and meet you in person, Vega." Said Amuro as he walked over to Chan, who was analyzing the robot. "Think it has to do with you being the only other robotic crew member on the ship. Well, besides Scourge and Kled." Nodding in understanding, Vega kneeled down to face the small Haro. After a minute of staring, Vega commenced a conversation with the Haro.

" **How are you, little one?"** Asked Vega. Haro blinked at first before responding.

" **Well. Well. How are you?"** Asked Haro. Vega then responded that he was well. " **How is Amuro? Is he okay?"**

" **More than okay. He and I are an effective team. We have each other's backs and are willing to share our discomforts with each other. Your master is quite a good man."**

" **He is. He is."** Said Haro, flapping his ears in agreement. As the two carried on their conversation, Chan and Amuro looked at each other.

"You're quite a engineer." Said Chan as she looked at Haro again. "When did you built him? Its quite well-constructed." Amuro scratched his head as he tried to recall when he built Haro.

"I'd say five years ago." Said Amuro. "I used my birthday money to buy some electronics, paint, a voice modulator, and some scraps. I was so lonely at home that I decided to build something to keep me company. Back then, I only had Fraw and Hayato as a friend and they couldn't be around me for most of the day, they had their own responsibilities. Plus, I wasn't too keen on making friends, too shy, so…well I think you get the idea." Chan just nodded as she looked at Haro jumping up and down as Vega nodded over something.

"If that's the case, you did quite well. He's properly balanced and stable. You did well for a ten-year-old." Amuro just chuckled at that.

"Well, he wasn't all that great initially. He kept falling down whenever he was in his biped mode. Had to get my dad to fix that problem."

"Even still, what you accomplished is remarkable. I don't think I could have done any better when I was ten. I was too busy thinking about school work and my friends to consider making a robot." Chan then looked at Amuro. "Mind if I take a look into his systems." Amuro just shook his head.

"Nah. Haro probably wouldn't mind." Said Amuro. "He'll probably even like you. Hey Haro!" Upon hearing its name, the tiny robot looked at its creator. "You wouldn't mind if Chan takes a look at you?" Looking over at Vega, the AI in the Gundam nodded its head.

" **She's been taking great care of both this Gundam and the original quite well with Amuro. She's as talented as him when it comes to software and computer engineering."** Upon hearing that, Haro went into his ball mode and rolled toward Chan. Then, when he was close enough, he jumped in the air and toward Chan, who grabbed the tiny robot in surprise. Once in her arms, it began to snuggle in them.

" ***Giggles"** Alright, how about after my shift is over, we take a look in your inner systems." Chan said as she rubbed one of Haro's ears. Smiling a bit at that display, Amuro looked at Vega who was tilting his head at the display.

" **Humans are strange."** Said Vega. Amuro just shrugged at that.

"Just how we do things." Vega just nodded at that. "Alright, ready to go for a minor test run?" Upon hearing that, Vega opened the cockpit, allowing Amuro to get in. Upon seeing him get in, Chan spoke out.

"If its not too much to ask, can you remain in perimeter patrol? Bright wants all pilots are the ready in case the enemy comes again. We don't want a repeat of before." Amuro nodded at that.

"I got it. Can you tell Kai to get ready if he comes here? I know that Hayato is eating with Ryu so it'll probably be awhile before they can pilot the Guntank and Core booster."

"I'll tell him." Chan said with a nod. With that, Amuro sealed the hatch and the Gundam ventured out toward the wilderness, both to test its systems and to guard the Medeas and the White Base. Once they were gone, Haro began to snuggle Chan again.

" ***Giggles*** You're adorable, you know that?" Said Chan as she rubbed Haro's tummy, something that the little robot found pleasing, despite not actually feeling it her hand as an organic being could.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Brig**

* * *

Hepner was silently humming to herself as she waited for her meal to come. Once again, it seemed it was Kai that was on duty to deliver food for the prisoners, based on all the cocky responses she keep hearing as the food cart made its way to her cell. She couldn't help but giggle when Kai brushed off a threat on his life, saying that it wouldn't be the first time someone threatened his life. That guy. So cocky yet also so kind at the same time. It amazed her that the White Base had someone like that on their ship. Not to mention he seemed to be a pilot too, based on her seeing him in a pilot suit. Either Kai is just so full of himself because he's a pilot or he's got the skills to back up that cockiness. Whatever the reason is, Hepner found that Kai was entertaining to say the least. Once the day to her cell opened, Kai came out and passed her food to her.

"Well, here's a meal fit for a queen. Hope you find it appetizing." Said Kai as he handed her a simple meal of bread and water. Hepner just giggled at his joke.

"If this is fit for a queen, I'm appalled on what you serve to the common folk." Said Hepner, playing along. Kai just smirked.

"Oh, the same thing really, just a bit smaller. Don't tell the other prisoners that. They can't tell the difference." Hepner openly laughed at that.

"I won't. They'll be jealous anyway, thinking its because I'm a girl and younger than them." Kai just shrugged at that.

"Yeah, they might. In that case, don't tell them for your sake. It'll be a shame for a pretty face like yours to be ruined by a jealous prisoner over the size of prison food." Hepner blushed upon hearing Kai call her pretty. While she knew she was considered cute amongst the members of Midnight Fenrir, no one called her out on it. Not even Nikki. He was too busy being a soldier to think about her physical appearance, as a special forces pilot should do. Kai, on the other hand, did and hadn't made a big deal over it, instead just using it as a joke. All her life on Earth, she was constantly under suspicion by other members of the military because they couldn't believe a teenage girl like her was stationed as a mobile suit pilot for an elite unit like the Midnight Fenrir. They could believe she was an operator or something like that, but as a mobile suit pilot? That rose some eyebrows. Staring at Kai, she spoke up.

"Thanks." Said Hepner, moving back some hair from her face. "That's the first time that someone complimented me on my looks. Well, that's not with some belittling criticism in it." Kai frowned at that.

"Let me guess, people were skeptical to learn that you're a member of an elite special forces group?" Hepner looked at Kai in shock, stunned that he figured it out. She then sighed before nodding her head, making Kai sigh.

"Well figures." Said Kai. "Well, you can't blame them for that. It does seem out of the ordinary." Hepner looked at Kai, shocked at his answer before that turned to anger.

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Hepner, angry at Kai. Undeterred by her anger, Kai went on to defend himself.

"Well," Said Kai. ", Consider this, doesn't it seem odd that a teenage girl is assigned to an elite special forces group. Wouldn't that normally be filled with the most experienced and skilled pilots, like the Red Comet or Blue Giant?" Hepner blinked at that. After processing that information, Hepner just nodded slowly. Seeing this, he pressed on. "I mean, most of the time, even with high test scores or doing well in whatever training they give you in whatever military academy you were in, they sent new recruits to some back-water post or some unit that nobody cares about in order to see if they're good for the big leagues. That is unless they have some connections. Not to be hard on you, I'm sure your pretty good, but that's how it normally goes. At least from where I'm standing. So," He then looked at her. "Got a friend in a high enough position to get you into the Midnight Fenrir?" Hepner just looked at Kai. She was debating on whether or not to tell him. Because he managed to get it spot on. Deciding that it wouldn't matter, she spoke up.

"The commander of the Midnight Fenrir, a man named Schmitzer, got me the position. He saw my scores and put a recommendation to place me in the Midnight Fenrir. He's been a good person to me ever since and I've never let him down." Nodding his head, Kai looked into the ground.

"I take it he's not dead?" Hepner just shook her head.

"No, he suffered major injuries in the battle of Loum that prevented him ever fighting in a mobile suit. Well, he technically can, but not as effective as before. Now, he just handles our paper work and tactics. He's a good commander." Hearing the respect from her tone, Kai realizes that she respected the man a great deal.

"You must like him a lot." Commented Kai, something that Hepner nodded in agreement.

"Like I said, he's a good commander. He professional in his relationship with us, but he cares for all of us. I bet he's churning inside with the deaths of my comrades and my capture." Kai just stayed silent as Hepner tightened her hold on herself. If Kai wasn't a Federation soldier or the pessimistic person he was, he would have tried to comfort her. But he knew better. No matter what he said, Hepner wouldn't take any comfort from an enemy soldier saying that everything was alright. She was too smart to fall for that. The best he could do, of any worth, was to just listen to her worries. If anything, it'll help her get it off her chest. After a minute passed, Hepner looked at Kai.

"Thanks for staying here and listening to me. Not a lot of people would do that." Kai just closed his eyes.

"Well, I barely got stuff to do here. Might as well listen to a cutie like you." Hepner blushed upon hearing that, looking away.

"Won't you get in trouble for saying that?" Asked Hepner. Kai just shrugged.

"Eh, probably. Still worth it if you ask me." Said Kai before smirking. "I get to see you blush. And I got to say, you look adorable when you do." Hepner then began to glow red at that. As her heart fluttered at Kai's words, she coughed out loud.

"T-thank you for that, but I like to eat alone please. Can you leave?" Granting her wish, Kai left and closed the door. When he was gone completely, Hepner looked at the food and began to eat. While she eat, she couldn't help but think about Kai and his boldness. His bravery, or perhaps stupidity, was something that reminded her of Nikki when he started out. Smiling safely at the thought of her dead comrade, Hepner resumed to eat her food, albeit slower than before.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Some distance away from the White Base and Medea transports**

* * *

"Alright, boys! Target is just up ahead!" Yelled Gaia as he and his boys rapidly approached the White Base with their new Doms. The Zakus were just behind them, carrying either machineguns or bazookas. There were six Zakus in total. With their speed, they can easily deal with the enemy so long as they have the element of surprise. After a few seconds, Gaia ordered everyone to stop, which they soon did. Once everyone stopped, Gaia's Dom looked at everyone.

"Alright, here's where we split up." He then pointed to Ortega's Dom. "Ortega take two Zakus and take the right flank. Mash do the same but take the left flank. I'll take the rest and we'll go straight up the middle. The enemy doesn't have many mobile suits based on the reports but be careful. They may have more than we think." Everyone nodded before they all went off to do their assigned flanks. Smiling, Gaia began to move forward, eager for the bloodshed about to happen. He was so caught up in the upcoming fight, that he didn't see that he tripped a sensor.

* * *

 **08** **th** **MS team's type-74 hover truck**

* * *

Massis was enjoying a cup of hot coffee when an alarm sounded inside the truck. Spitting out his coffee, he went into action, ignoring the mess he made. Looking at a monitor, he saw that multiple bogies were approaching them from multiple directions. Seeing this, he made a call to Bright. It only took a few seconds before the captain of the White Base spoke.

"This is lieutenant Bright. What is it?" Asked Bright as he finished his talk with Matilda.

"Sir, we got incoming! Nine bogies! They're moving fast and they're be on us in about three minutes!" Upon hearing that, Bright sprang into action.

"Inform all crewmen to go to level one battle stations! We have incoming enemies! Tell our mobile suits to prepare of incoming assault!" As the alarm sounded in the bridge, Bright began to yell out orders, telling people to get all mobile suits out as well as the core booster. Once he was done, Matilda looked at him.

"This is bad." Said Matilda. "They'll be using the trees to cover their approach. And with the cover of night, we'll be hard pressed to locate them."

"Agreed." Said Bright, looking out the bridge's front window, barely seeing much outside of a few trees. "We need something to give us visibility." Upon hearing that, Matilda remembered that her transports has a few flares in them in case of emergencies. Looking at Bright again, she told him that they can use the flares to help spot the enemy. Upon hearing that, Bright looked at Matilda. "But lieutenant, that's too dangerous. The enemy will spot you as well and aim at your transports. Its too risky." Matilda just frowned.

"Of course, it is, lieutenant but, we need visibility on the enemy, or we won't be able to hit them effectively. At least, not before they're right on top of us. I'm telling my Medeas' to take off. Trust me, we know what we're doing." With that, Matilda went to a communications console and began to give orders to her men. Within a minute, the first Medea took off and began to drop flares in key locations. Sighing to himself, Bright allowed Matilda to tell her men to this risky operation and went back to giving order to his own men. If any of them died, he won't let their sacrifice be in vain.

* * *

 **Shiro's Gundam**

* * *

"Got it, we'll keep an eye out." Shiro said before cutting the comms with Massis. "Hear that Kled? Got enemy mobile suits approaching. Keep an eye on the sensors. I don't want them to sneak up on us."

" **Affirmative. Shall I tell Agar to send his team to guard the ships?"** Shiro nodded. With the trees as a means to cover their approach, the enemy can get close to the Guncannons and take them out as they lack any sort of close quarters weapons.

"Tell Agar to go on top of the White Base, they'll be most effective there." Kled then began relay his orders to Agar, who, though not liking it, agreed with the orders and pulled back to guard the ships. With that done, Shiro then contacted the White Base crew and his team.

"I'm here with the new Gundam. No way in hell they'll get past us." Said Karen as she and Amuro began to commence guard operations in the left flank.

"Terry here. I'm coming to the middle with the new Guncannon and the modified Guntank. The core booster is taking off now. It'll give us a good eye view on the enemy with the Medeas." Nodding his head, Shiro told everyone to be careful.

"Careful guys, I got a feeling this enemy suits aren't your standard Zakus." With that he cut comms with everyone and had his Gundam go into a crouch position. He was currently keeping an eye on the right flank by himself. If the enemy got past him, it'll be up to Agar and his men to deal with them. Though Shiro hoped that wouldn't be the case, he was currently on top of a large rock that gave him a pretty good eyes' view on the forest and its many clearings. If the enemy is moving in the right flank, he'll know it and hopefully fire a couple of shots that'll take some of them out. Waiting in anticipation for the enemy, Shiro kept his eyes on his scanners with his hands on the trigger, patiently waiting for the enemy. His patience was soon awarded when Kled informed him that three boggies were approaching. A targeting icon soon appeared, pointing to where the enemy was no doubt coming from. Aiming down his Gundam's beam rifle, Shiro soon spotted the enemy. It appeared to be two Zaku fitted with thrusters packs and a Dom, Zeons new mass-produced mobile suit. Taking a breath, Shiro fired his beam rifle at one of the Zakus. The shot hit the legs of the Zaku, tearing them off with the force of the blast. As the Zaku came crashing to the ground, the Dom and remaining Zaku began to scatter, firing at where the shot came from while doing so. Undeterred by the incoming rockets, Shiro continued to fire, but the mobile suits had fled deeper into the forest, beyond their scanners.

"This is Shiro, got two enemy bogies here! Should I pursue?" Bright soon came on the radio.

"Negative, you're the only unit on our right flank. Stay in position, there may be more that got in undetected." Shiro acknowledged his orders and stayed put.

"Kled, keep an eye around our perimeter. I got a feeling the enemy will try and make a pincer move on us." Kled, understanding the tactic, switched to just monitoring their perimeter. With his perimeter monitored, Shiro looked at his long range scanners, hoping to find the enemy before they pull something off.

* * *

 **Left flank**

* * *

"We're going down! Mayday, this is Medea transport 2, we're going down! I repeat, we…" That was all Karen could hear before she heard an explosion. She gritted her teeth before firing her beam rifle, having gotten a spare from the Medea transports, at the Zaku she was facing off. To her annoyance, the Zaku managed to get away in time and hid in the trees. Knowing that it'll have the advantage in the forest, Karen looked up to see Amuro firing his shoulder mounted beam cannon somewhere. The massive explosion that came after it hit, made her suspect he hit a mobile suit.

"Nice work, kid. You and that buddy of yours are a pretty good team." Amuro soon responded.

"Thanks, but that was all me." Upon hearing that, Karen looked at the Full armor Gundam, confused at what he just said. Before she could speak, the Zaku from before fired its machine gun at Karen, whose Gundam's armor held against the barrage. Acting quickly, she hit the ground and fired. The Zaku tried to dodge but the beam managed to destroy its left arm, ruining it. With its left arm gone, the Zaku threw away its gun and brought out its heat hawk. It then tried to rush Karen, but the woman just smirked. As it charged at her, she piloted her Gundam to shift its position so that its legs would be pointing at the Zaku. Just as the Zaku was going to bring down its heat hawk, the Gundam ground type kicked at it, knocking it to the ground. Before it could get up, Karen beat it and fired her beam rifle while flying away, destroying the Zaku.

"Alright." Said Karen with a small smile. "We just have to deal with the Dom, right?"

" **Affirmative. Scans show that there's only one enemy unit here, but it appears to be rapidly moving away from the area. It may be trying to regroup with the other mobile suits."**

"Got to agree there. Kid go help Shiro in the right flank. I'll stay here in case they try to pull a fast one on us."

"Got it. Good luck." With that, the Full Armor Gundam flew away. Taking a moment to be impressed with its speed, Karen went back to keeping an eye on the left, not letting anyone to past her.

* * *

 **Gaia**

* * *

"Hot diggity!" Yelled Gaia as he dodged a shot from the Gundam ground type's cannon. "Hah! Think that you can beat me with that large cannon!? At this range?!" Gaia then charged at the Gundam ground type, his Dom's speed enabling him to far closer than what a normal Zaku can give him. Seeing this, Terry dropped his cannon and brought out his beam saber. As Gaia got close, Terry went in with a lunging attack. Unfortunately, Gaia jumped up to avoid the attack and brought his Bazooka at the Gundam's face. Before Terry could react, Gaia fired and the rocket hit the Gundam's face, blowing it up. As the Gundam fall back, Gaia landed on the suit, sending it crashing to the ground. Before he could fire a shot at the cockpit, the Dom was suddenly peppered with small missile fire.

"You're not going to get him!" Yelled Hayato as he fired his arm guns at the Dom. Before he could do serious damage, the Dom got off the Gundam and charged at the Guntank. Panicking at seeing this this, Hayato tried to run away, but the Guntank was far too slow for it to retreat. As the Dom was closing the distance, a flare suddenly went off above them, illuminating them and the surrounding area. Seeing this, the Dom veered off from the Guntank and proceeded to fire at the Medea responsible for launching the flare. And just in time too because a barrage of fire from the 3rd mobile suit artillery team came crashing down on where the Dom used to be. Sighing in relief, Hayato contacted Terry, asking if he's fine.

"I'm fine, kid. Lost the main camera, but I still got most of my controls functioning." Said Terry as he checked his systems. "What happened with your Zaku? Last I saw you, you were engaging one of those Zakus' with upgraded thrusters."

"The core booster came in and drove it away. I don't doubt it'll come back and try to finish me off. Please hurry on fixing your suit, sir, I don't think I can beat it and the Dom at the same time."

"Got it. Don't worry, I'm not letting any of you die on my watch." Nodding in confirmation, Hayato then contacted Kai, asking if he's doing okay.

"Just peachy!" Yelled Kai as he dodged a shot from his opponent's bazooka. He dodged the attack and retaliated with his shoulder cannons. The Zaku, however, just swerved out of the way and fired back, this time hitting the Guncannon. Gritting his teeth as his suit shook from the impact, Kai continued his fight with the Zaku. "If your asking for help, you're not getting it from me! This guy just won't quit! Try to contact Amuro or Ryu to help out! I'm busy." Hayato frowned but acknowledged it. He soon contacted Ryu to ask if he can help out in with the core booster. Ryu, who was assigned to the core booster after the Medea supply transports had came with parts that retrofitted the Guntank to be piloted effectively with just one crewmen, complied with Hayato's request.

"Got it. It looks like the other flanks are secured. Its just yours that needs to be reinforced. Amuro is helping the ensign with the right, so I'll cover you guys from the air." Hayato smiled at that.

"Thanks. We really need it." Ryu then said he's on his way when the 2nd Medea in the air was hit with a bazooka round. Veering away from it, Ryu gritted his teeth and the Medea went down in a fiery explosion.

"Hot damn! That was a good explosion!" Yelled Ortega as he reveled in the explosion he just caused.

"Good shot, Ortega." Said Gaia as he regrouped with Ortega. It only took a few seconds before Mash arrived. Upon seeing that it was just him, Gaia frowned. That meant that his Zakus' were wiped out, bringing their total number of mobile suits, combined with the one lost from Ortega's group, down to six. And, so far, they only disabled one suit. The enemy was well-trained it seemed. Thinking quickly, Gaia ordered the Zakus to take the right flank and take out the sniper. As they left, Gaia looked at his teammates.

"Alright boys! We're going to take charge straight at the Trojan Horse! If that fancy new Gundam gets in the way, we'll use our jet stream attack on him!" Cheering out loud at the thought of using their signature attack on Earth for the first time, the Black tri-stars charged at the White Base. It was only due to Massis that they're able to detect this.

"All units! We have three enemy mobile suits coming in from the front! Requesting assistance immediately! Agar, try to suppress them!"

"You got it!" Yelled Agar as he and his team went to the front of the White Base and prepared their shoulder cannons. "Scourge! Get ready! We need targeting data soon!"

" **Affirmative. On standby."** As the team and AI were waiting for the enemy to come, Scourge suddenly detected the enemy approaching. He then gave the team the targeting data necessary to hit the Doms effectively. Not wasting time, the three Guncannons fired their shoulder cannons. As the barrage came at them, the Doms scattered. They then proceeded to fire back at the Guncannons, who remained stoic to the barrage of bazooka rounds. Firing again, this time the Guncannons managed to hit one of the Doms, Mashs to be exact. Unfortunately, the Dom's heavy armor held, albeit barely. Gritting his teeth, Mash brought out a grenade and activated it. It waited for a few minutes before tossing it at the Guncannons. When it approached them, the grenade emitted a bright light, blinding the pilots. Unfortunately for the Tri-stars, Scourge wasn't affected and he proceded to aim Agar's Guncannon at the Doms. He fired a shot at Ortega's Dom, blasting its head off, and then fired at Gaia, who had to stop aiming at the bridge of the White Base in order to dodge it. Seeing that he needed to keep them off the White Base, Scourge jumped off the ship and proceeded to defend it from the ground. Agar, seeing this, nodded his head in agreement before telling his team to do the same. Reluctantly, the two did so and the three Guncannons prepared to face the Doms, who had little ammo in their bazookas. Wanting to save them for the other mobile suits, the tri-stars brought out their sabers and charged at the Guncannons, knowing they can't take out the White Base with them around. As they charged, Agar just gritted his teeth and yelled out.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

Shiro grunted as he dodged a swing from a Zaku. He was about to swing his beam saber back when he was shot in the back from another Zaku with its machinegun. Gritting his teeth he then flew his Gundam in the air and looked to see the Zaku with the gun was aiming at him. Acting quickly, he threw his beam saber at that Zaku. The saber pierced through the gun's magazine, causing it to blow up. As shrapnel flew everywhere, Shiro fell down to the Zaku, bringing out his other beam saber. Yelling out, he brought his beam saber on the Zaku's cockpit, killing the pilot. The other Zaku, shocked to see this, was about to bring down its heat hawk at the Gundam, when it suddenly turned around and threw its 2nd beam saber at it, piercing the cockpit. As that Zaku fell down, Shiro grabbed his two beam sabers.

"Told you that it'll work, Kled." Said Shiro with a smile as he put his sabers in their recharge racks.

" **I never said it wouldn't work. I said that the probability of it ending with us dying would be high."** Said Kled. Shiro just laughed a bit at that.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Shiro then looked around. "Wonder where the Full armor is?" He then got his answer when an explosion erupted near his location. Just after it, the Full armor Gundam appeared in the air and landed near him.

"Sorry. That Zaku was good." Said Amuro. Shiro just smiled.

"Its okay." Said Shiro. "No harm done here. Got our Zakus just fine."

" **Indeed, though I wonder why it took you so long to take out yours."** Said Kled. **"With your artificial intelligence, you should have been able to take out that lone Zaku with ease. Why did it take you so long to take it out?'**

"Well…" Started Amuro, wondering how to explain his problem, when Vega stepped in.

" **The blame is partly on me. You see, after his last encounter with the Blue Giant, the ace pilot left some profound words on Amuro. He claimed that he was relying too much on me to the part that it'll become a weakness later on. Though Amuro rebuked his claims, his words left an impact on my pilot that he decided to fight his battles without me from now on."** Upon hearing that, Kled and Shiro looked at the Full armor in shock.

"Why in the heck would you do that?" Asked Shiro. He was shocked to hear something like this. Wasn't the purpose of having an AI to help a pilot out in battle. Why was Amuro neglecting this important tool? "Its Vega's duty to help you out, but you ignore it. Why?" Amuro just looked at the ground before responding.

"What the Blue Giant said, it…it just convinced me that I'm relying too much on Vega. All of my previous battles I had to rely on him and not on my own skills as a pilot. All of those victories that were won because of the Gundam, they were won by Vega alone, not me and him. And, as much as I hate to say it, Ramba Ral was right. They'll come a time that I won't be able to rely on Vega to win my battle for me. I have to start winning my battles with my own skills or else I'll end up dead." He then looked at Shiro. "That's why I choose to fight without him in this battle, ensign. I'm sorry if this offends you, but I have to do it." Shiro just looked at the Full armor in stunned silence. Cutting the comms for a bit, he asked Kled what he thought.

" **I think it's stupid and completely unnecessary. He's essentially risking lives with this stunt. Still…I suppose I can understand his plight. There's a fine line between using a useful tool and over relying on that tool. Over relying on just one multi-purpose device can hamper your ability to use other tools, to the point when you don't have that multi-purpose device around anymore, you'll be unable to even know how to use those other tools. My advice on this matter is to help train Amuro Ray. He clearly needs someone to help in mobile suit warfare. One that is quite understanding to what he's going through."** Getting what Kled was going at, Shiro nodded before turning the comms back on.

"Don't worry, I understand." Shiro then had his Gundam extend his hand out. "If it'll help, I can offer to help train you to be a better pilot. No AI to help either of us out. Just us." Upon hearing that, Amuro looked at the Gundam ground type in shock.

"You mean it. You'll help?" Asked Amuro, stunned to hear this. Shiro just smiled.

"Course. I can understand that you need help to be a better pilot. You didn't get any training in any academy, after all. So it'll benefit you if a trained pilot can help you out. And it looks like I'm the best choice for that. Let's train after this battle, okay?" Smiling a bit, Amuro's Gundam then took Shiro's Gundam's hand and shook it. The two Gundams looked at each other, as if signifying their pilots trust and understanding. Before they could let go, Vega and Kled interrupted them.

" **Not to interrupt the touching moment but…"** Vega then finished the sentence.

" **Agar is requesting assistance immediately. It seemed the Doms have banded together to take out the White Base. The other are on their way, but I don't think they'll make it in time before the Doms take out Agar's team and the White Base."** Upon hearing that, Amuro let go and took off.

"We'll go on ahead!" Yelled Amuro in the radio. "I'll stall them as best as I can!"

"Got it!" Yelled Shiro. He then put his Gundam into overdrive, running as fast as it can take him.

* * *

 **Agar**

* * *

"Damnit!" Yelled Agar as his opponent sliced his Guncannon's right arm off after repeated attempts to do so. Gritting his teeth, Agar grabbed the arm carrying the heat saber with his remaining arm. With it locked in place for the time being, Agar had his Guncannon head butt the Dom, disorienting the cameras a bit. Scourge then aimed the shoulder cannons at the Dom and were about to fire when the Dom ducked and kicked the Guncannon's legs, tripping it and forcing it to let go of its arm. The Dom was then about to stab down when the pilot detected something was incoming.

"What?" Asked Gaia as he detected one in bound object. His teammates, Ortega and Mash also picked up the anomaly. The three then came to the conclusion that it's the new Gundam. And just as they thought, the Full Armor Gundam appeared, landing a few feet from them. Observing the area, Amuro noted grimly that he made it in time.

Agar's team was all in the ground, missing limbs and cannons from their shoulders. Though it looked like they did some damage. One Dom lost a head and they all had various dents and cracks in their armor. And one Guncannon seemed to be holding several cables, most likely from the Dom without a head.

" **Do you want me to assist in this battle?"** Asked Vega. Amuro nodded, this was not the time to prove himself.

"Get ready, Vega. I got the feeling these guys know what they're doing." Said Amuro as the Full Armor looked at the Doms, who all began to get ready. Gaia just smiled as he got ready for a fight.

"Mash! Ortega! Get ready for a jet stream attack!" Upon hearing that, the two cheered and brought out their bazookas. They then charged at the Gundam in a single file line, confusing the two a bit before they shook it off. Just as Amuro was about to fire his beam rifle at them, the lead Dom fired its chest gun, blinding Amuro. Vega was about to fire the rifle in his stead when the lead Dom opened fire with two shots, forcing the Gundam to raise its shield to block the shots. When the rockets impacted the shield, Vega looked through the shield's viewport to see the lead Dom moving away to reveal the 2nd one had its bazooka aimed at them. Now recovered and seeing this, Amuro flew up and fired the beam rifle at the 2nd one, who was able to move just in time for the shot to miss him, though he was forced to not fire because of it. The 3rd one, however, jumped to face the Gundam in close quarters combat and had its heat saber out. Before it could swing the Dom was hit from the front, by the Full Armor's shoulder-mounted beam cannon, and a shot from Agar's shoulder cannons. The combined assault destroyed the Dom and caused it to blow up.

"Ortega!" Yelled Gaia as he and Mash saw their comrade blow up. Gritting their teeth, the two were about to fight back when the other mobile suits arrived. Seeing the two mobile suits were moving on the Full Armor, all the suits fired at them, destroying Mash's Dom, but Gaia activated his thrusters in time and flew at the Full Armor, who was floating on the ground. Seeing this, the Full armor brought out one of its beam sabers and charged at the Dom. As the two closed the distance between them, they swung their sabers at each other. The Dom managed to slice off a part of the Full Armor's V fin, but the Full armor managed to hit the Dom's head and proceeded to bisect it. As the Dom exploded, the Full armor landed near the White Base's Guncannon.

"Well, that looks like the last of them." Said Kai as he looked around. "Right?"

"I think so. Massis isn't hearing anything and the proximity sensors aren't picking up anything either." Said Karen. "Looks like a victory if you ask me."

"Yeah." Said Terry as he surveyed the carnage, particularly the smoke that was coming from the destroyed Medeas. "Though we lost some people." Everyone just nodded sadly.

"Sir." Said Shiro as he contacted the White Base. "The enemy is completely wiped out. Should we begin to search for survivors in the Medea crash sites?"

"Affirmative, but keep some mobile suits on perimeter watch. We don't know if that was all of them." Shiro just nodded before ordering Terry and Kai to help him search for survivors. He then told Karen to remain with the others to guard the perimeter. As they watched the others leave, Karen looked at Agar, whose Guncannon was getting up.

"You did good, lieutenant." Said Karen. "Without you, the enemy would have destroyed the White Base. Nice job." Agar's Guncannon just looked at Karen.

"Just doing our job." Said Agar before going to tend to his men, whose Guncannons were in worse shape than his. Karen just huffed in amusement as she went to guard the perimeter.

* * *

 **The next day**

 **Revil's big tray**

* * *

"Sir, I have a list of the people near the Medeas. I think you'll find one of the names to be a big hint." Said Selina as she gave a list of who were near the Medeas before they took off in their relief mission. Upon seeing the highlighted name, Revil narrowed his eyes.

"It appears that we have a clue on who our mole is." Said Revil as he placed the list down. Why on earth would Judock, Elron's assistant be near the Medeas in the first place. He didn't deal with supplies nor had any interactions with anyone from the supply corps at all. He usually left supply orders to some other officer.

"That's not all, sir. A quartermaster was making his daily check ins when he spotted Judock going into a Medea and then coming back out just a minute later. And that Medea was one of the transports assigned to the White Base." Stroking his beard, Revil began to suspect that it wasn't just Elron that was the only mole they had. "Sir, what are you going to do. While this is suspicious, this isn't enough to pain Judock as a mole. If anything, it'll just put him under suspicions and that won't do anything, if Elron is a traitor." Revil just nodded in agreement before getting up.

"That is true, Mrs. Agi, but I think I have a way to make Elron confess. Tell all commanding officers to meet me in my Big Tray immediately. Its time for an important announcement." Selina raised an eyebrow at that, but complied. In a few hours, all the officers in charge of all the battle groups and their 2nd in commands were in Revil's big tray, waiting for this important announcement. When Revil showed up, they all saluted, some were more enthusiastic in doing so than others, and stood at attention when he raised his hands.

"Thank you all for coming. I know that this was sudden, but what I have to say is important and must be given to all of you." Everyone then began to wonder what was going on. "As some of you know, there's undoubtably a mole in our ranks that's feeding information of our tactics and plans to the enemy." Upon hearing that, everyone that didn't know about that piece of information began to look at each other, wondering if the mole was the person next to them. "Because of this, I'd like to change our battle tactics for the operation and delay it for another two days." Everyone then nodded to Revil, agreeing with this idea, all except one. When Elron raised his hand in protest, Revil allowed him to speak.

"Revil, this is completely absurd and unnecessary. If we change our tactics now, it might take us more than two days to inform all of our men of these new changes and to move all the necssary equipment. It'll delay us so much that the Zeons will be able to send more reinforcements from space to reinforce their position in Odessa!" Though a few could see that logic in Elron's reasoning, a few didn't like the notion that they had to go fight the enemy with a plan that they knew ahead of time because of a mole.

"I understand your reasoning, Elron, but I rather delay our operation than go through with a plan that the enemy knows. That's my final say in the matter. If anyone wants to protest raise your hands." To Elron's displeasure, only a handful raised their hands, but the vast majority didn't life a finger. "Well, it appears the majority rules, Elron. You all will receive the new plans in the next three hours. If you don't receive them by then, please inform me immediately. This meeting is now adjourned." With that done, everyone left, though with suspicion towards each other. With them all gone, Revil quickly walked over to Selina, who was patiently waiting for Revil. "Is my transport ready?" Selina just nodded.

"As per your orders, a standard hover plane is ready for you, sir." She then looked at Revil. "Are you sure about going in alone, sir? If Elron is indeed the mole, then you'll be in danger if he reacts like you predict." Revil just closed his eyes.

"Unfortunately, Mrs. Agi, that's a risk I'll take. If putting my life will expose Elron as a traitor, then so be it. Besides, I lived a long life. Its better for an old man like be to take the risk over someone like you, who has young children waiting for her." Selina just shook her head.

"But you have children too, sir." Said Selina, whispering to Revil so that others can't hear their conversation. "You told me you wanted to see them again after this war. To see your grandchildren as well. Aren't you worried that you'll never see them again if Elron pulls a gun at you?" Revil just placed his hand on Selina's shoulder.

" ***Sighs*** Mrs. Agi, While I understand your worry, your fear of taking risks is, quite frankly, a weakness. In life, you need to take a few risks if you're ever going to be successful. For most people, that is." Selina just looked offended at that.

"Sir, that's not fair. I'm just concerned for you and your remaining family." Said Selina. Knowing that she was referring to her, Revil just closed his eyes.

"I know it is and I'm sorry if that offends you, but it needed to be said. You need to realize Mrs. Agi that, sometimes. taking risks are necessary, especially in war. Even if those risks can cost you your life. I know that this can sound offensive to someone like you, who lived financially well and is a good person at heart, but this is an important life lessons that everyone needs to learn. Do you understand, Mrs. Agi?" Selina just looked away from Revil, unsure how to respond. Seeing that he was running out of time, Revil began to walk away. "Take some time to think of my words, Mrs. Agi, you'll have plenty of time before the operation begins." With that Revil left the war room, leaving Selina to her thoughts.

* * *

 **A few minutes later**

* * *

"Sir! Your transport is ready to go!" Yelled a flight deck officer as he watched Revil walk toward the prepared hover plane. Revil just nodded in thanks before getting in. Though he wasn't exactly an expert in piloting anything, he can pilot a hover plane adequately enough. He was about to take off when he heard a voice.

"Wait! General Revil wait!" Looking out of his cockpit, Revil saw, to his pleasant surprise, Selina coming running toward his hover plane. Soon, she got in and sat in the seat behind Revil's.

"Decided to come along, huh?" Asked Revil as he closed the canopy. The plane then took off and began to fly to where Revil wanted it to go.

"Well. I wouldn't forgive myself if you're in danger while I'm siting in a cozy bed, thinking over what you said. Besides, as your assistant, its my job to go with you wherever you go." Revil just shook his head in amusement before going back to piloting the plane. As he piloted his plane, Revil thought of only one thing. And that was Elron.

* * *

 **Elron's Big Tray**

* * *

"Judock, inform M'Quve that general Revil has made changes to his battleplan. He'll get the documents containing the changed plan in three hours." Said Elron as he poured himself a glass of wine. Judock just nodded before voicing his concerns.

"Do you think Revil suspects you, sir?" Elron just sighed. He had no doubt that Revil is starting to suspect him. He may be an old man, but that didn't mean he was senile. Still, Elron was confident that Revil couldn't reveal his affiliation in time for Odessa. He covered his tracks well.

"I don't doubt it, but he won't be able to find enough evidence to label be a traitor. We've covered our tracks well. Now go." Judock then saluted Elron before leaving to go inform M'Quve in his personal terminal. After he left, Elron drank the entire glass down in a single go. Putting down the glass, Elron wondered on what to M'Quve will do when he learns about this. Most likely, he'll ask him to delay his battle group so that he can focus all his efforts into Revil's and the other two assembled battle groups. Though Elron wasn't sure that was enough. With the new Gundam that was delivered to the White Base, Elron wasn't confident in the odds of M'Quve winning this battle. As he wondered on what to do to save himself should the battle go into the Federation's favor, the door leading to his office was knocked.

"Come in." Said Elron as he poured himself another glass. The door then opened and revealed someone that Elron didn't expect to see.

"How are you Elron." Said Revil as he walked into Elron's office, ignoring the gawking face of Elron. "There's something that I like to talk with you about."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 **Elron's big tray**

* * *

After finishing gawking, Elron composed himself and poured a drink for Revil.

"I must say, this is a surprise, Revil." Said Elron as he handed Revil a drink, who took it. After drinking his own, Elron looked at the man. "May I ask why you're here?"

"Well, to be honest, Elron I'm here to tell you some disturbing news that might implicate you as a mole." Widening his eyes at that, Elron looked to see Revil putting down his still full glass and walked to the area in his office with a couch in it. Looking at a portrait of Elron, Revil continued. "You might want to take a seat, Elron, this may be shocking to you." Sighing to himself, Elron took a seat and waited for Revil to speak, which he soon did.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

"I see." Said M'Quve with a frown. "Revil is certainly catching on, isn't he?" Judock just nodded in agreement.

"Yes sir, but we've hid our tracks well. We're certain that he won't suspect our allegiance until after the operation is over."

"I very much hope that you're right." Said M'Quve. Things were going terrible for him. Between the death of the Black Tri stars and the many casualties suffered by the Midnight Fenrir, the situation was going poorly for the Zeon forces. He needed Elron to not be discovered before the operation began or else this will all end in disaster for the entire Principality. Sighing to himself, he gave his orders to Judock. "Send me the new battle plans when you acquired them, Judock. I'll make the necessary changes when I've studied them extensively." Judock just nodded before turning off his terminal. The assistant to Elron just sighed before getting up and going to his door. Upon opening it, he was meet with the sight of Revil's assistant, Selina Agi, and a couple of troopers. Stunned to see them, he looked at Selina.

"Uh…what's this about?" Asked Judock, nervous. To his horror, Selina just brought up a set of cuffs.

"Judock." Said Selina, keeping her voice neutral, as she slapped the cuffs on his person. "We have quite a few questions for you. Plenty."

* * *

 **Elron's office**

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Revil?" Asked Elron as Revil filled him in on what Selina had told him about the Medea supply mission.

"Positive. Your assistant was spotted heading into one of the Medeas sent to resupply the White Base and then backed out in under a minute, sometime before they took off on their mission. That witness told my assistant that Judock was acting strangely and that he just went into a Medea and left soon after. Suspicious, isn't it?" Elron just nodded as he looked at Revil, whose back was turned to him.

"Indeed, but not enough to accuse Judock of being a mole, general." Said Elron, testing Revil to see how much he knew. Revil just nodded.

"True, true. All it would do is just place him under suspicions. However," Elron rose an eyebrow at that. "There's one damming piece of evidence that proves that Judock is a mole and that someone else as well." Hearing that, Elron began to sweat. Before he could ask, Revil continued. "After she survived the attack, lieutenant Matilda had informed me that they found a tracking beacon on one of the Medeas. The same one that Judock went in. It was small enough to be fit into one's pocket. Perfect in getting past a guard if one's clearance is high enough, correct?" Elron just nodded as he started to get nervous. "Because of that, I had the men assigned to protect you to bug your office and Judock's room. As a matter of precaution and you wouldn't believe what we heard from your conversations." Widening his eyes in shock, Elron went into panic mode as Revil looked at his picture, seemingly oblivious on what he had just said. "I must say, I don't approve, Elron. Do you have any shame? Earth had been kind to you and you live a life of luxury in the military. And this is how you repay the Federation? You disappoint…" Revil couldn't say anymore when his old instincts kicked in. Ducking behind the couch, Revil overturned it as Elron brought out his pistol and fired. As the round hit the couch, Revil brought out his own pistol.

"Just as I predicted, you just shot yourself in the foot, Elron." Upon hearing that, Elron widened his eyes in shock.

"Y-you tricked me!" Yelled Elron as he glared at where Revil was hiding in. Knowing that Revil likely had a pistol on his person, Elron just crouched behind his desk and waited for Revil to make a move. "There were no bugs in this room!"

"Precisely. I just said that to see how you react and now you've expose your true allegiance. Its over Elron. If you surrender now, I promise to make your court martial less hostile and make your imprisonment more comfortable." Said Revil. Elron just laughed at that.

"You take me a fool, Revil?" Asked Elron as he laughed. "You and I both know how harsh the Federation is to traitors. No matter how respect you are, you won't lessen the charges on me enough for me to surrender peacefully. If I'm going down, I may as well take you with me." Revil just narrowed his eyes at that.

"Why did you do it, Elron? Why did you betray the Federation? You hate spacenoids with a burning passion. Why did you defect to their side?" Elron just chuckled.

"You should know, Revil. After all, you fought hard against my kind before. Back before this war even started." Revil just sighed at that, knowing what Elron was referring to.

"So that's it, huh? You betrayed us all just for money? You didn't think you had enough so you betrayed us all, endangering thousands of Federation lives, just for extra coin in your pockets. The Zeons must have paid you quite handsomely for you to pull turn traitor. How much was it? Fifty million? A hundred million? Whatever it is, you won't be able to spend any of it while you're in jail. You've fought for something that won't completely satiate your greed Elron." Elron just scoffed.

"At least I have something tangible to fight for, Revil. What about you and your pointless crusade in redeeming the Federation? You, Tianem, and Kowen. You're all fighting a pointless battle with no end in sight. This government was formed by the rich and greedy. People go up the ranks, not by hard work or devotion, but having enough money and the right connections. And the few that do put in the work, they're either sent to back water positions, essentially ending their careers, or have them names slandered by opposing rivals, thus blacklisting them from all other lines of work. You're one of the exceptions, but that doesn't mean anything. No matter what you do, you can't change the nature of the Federation. It'll always be a corrupt organization that'll only serve the rich and earth-born." Revil just tightened his hold on his gun. He knew that Elron was trying to taunt him into making a mistake, but he wasn't going to fall for it.

"At least it's a fight worth fighting for Elron. Though I may be long dead before the Federation can truly change, I'll still fight to redeem it so that others can take up my work. Besides, I made a promise to someone and I intend to keep it." Elron just smirked.

"You mean that promise you made to your dead wife? I know all about what happened Revil. It didn't take much to bribe a few people to learn about what happened. Honestly Revil, I thought you were better than to make a promise to a dead woman. Especially with a promise that can't be done. She was a foolish and naïve woman that couldn't see that nothing can be done to save the Federation. And, quite frankly, she deserved what she got." Upon hearing that, Revil yelled out in rage and raised his head a bit. Upon seeing this, Elron fired at Revil's head. To his surprise, Revil went immediately to the ground as Elron fired his last bullets. Once Revil heard Elron's gun click, Revil went back up and pointed his pistol at Elron. He then fired, shooting Elron in the shoulder. Jerking back from the hit, Elron hit the wall and slumped down. As Revil approached the man, Elron looked at Revil in disbelief. While Revil looked calmly at Elron, he had a fire in his eyes.

"I think we're done here." Said Revil before pressing a button on Elron's desk. It was only a few minutes before a few troopers came with Selina, Judock in cuffs. "I take it that, Judock has revealed some things?" Selina just nodded.

"It didn't take much to convince him to confess. He's revealed everything." Said Selina as she looked at Judock, who flinched. The leader of the soldiers then stepped up.

"Sir, captain Templar. We found evidence of Judock's allegiance to the Zeons, but we've been unable to find anything that pins Elron as a traitor." Closing his eyes, Revil then opened up his officer's uniform to reveal that he had a recorder on his person. Taking it out, he gave it to the captain.

"This should be amble evidence, captain. See to it that both men are taken into custody for treason." The man just nodded before ordering his men to take Elron into custody. After they cuffed him, Revil looked at Elron, who looked back. Though Revil looked calm, Elron saw he was still angry with what he said about his dead wife. He then closed his eyes and told the men to take them away, which they did, leaving Selina, Revil, and the captain alone. With no one else left, Revil looked at the captain. "Who's in charge now?" The captain just looked at the ground before responding.

"Well, that'd be colonel Chase, sir. I'll inform him of the situation immediately." Revil then nodded before allowing the officer to leave. Once they were alone, Selina looked at Revil.

"Are you okay, sir?" Asked Selina. Though she couldn't see his face, she knew that Elron must have said something to Revil that caused him to stare at the man. Something that the general didn't like to have brought up. Revil just sighed before telling Selina. Upon hearing what Elron said, Selina cupped her mouth in shock. "I'm so sorry to hear that, sir. You and your wife didn't deserve to be ridiculed for what you believe in." Revil nodded in thanks.

"Thank you. This just shows the uphill battle I'm facing once this war is over." Said Revil. Selina nodded in agreement, sad to hear that. Wanting to move on to more pressing matters, she change the topic to Odessa.

"Sir, while I was listening in on Judock, I managed to catch some interesting information. It appears that Judock managed to inform M'Quve that we made a change to our strategy and that he'll have the plans in a couple of hours." She then smirked. "I think it would be a disappointment for him not to get it." Getting what she was saying, Revil just smirked to himself.

* * *

 **Few hours later**

 **M'Quve's base**

* * *

M'Quve was thinking of ways to deal with the Trojan Horse when he suddenly got an email. Upon opening it, he saw that it came from Judock himself. Smiling a bit, M'Quve opened up the file that came attached with the email. Satisfied on seeing that they were the enemies new battle plans, M'Quve began to think up of ways to counter them.

" **Pity you made this much effort, Revil."** Thought M'Quve as he analyzed the battle plans. **"It'll all be for naught."**

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Elron's big tray**

* * *

"And its sent." Said Selina as she sent the email to M'Quve himself. After agreeing to give Judock a lighter sentence, the man gave them his email password and account. With that information, they've been able to send M'Quve a email with the new battleplans. Plans that were now useless as Revil had already sent an email to all officers of Elron's treachery and that they'll be sticking to the original plan. "And M'Quve doesn't expect a thing." Nodding his head in satisfaction, Revil began to leave Judock's room.

"Its time for us to leave, Mrs. Agi. We've did our duty. Now's its time to lead our men to battle." Selina just nodded before following Revil to their hover plane.

* * *

 **White Base**

* * *

"Karen take the shot!" Yelled Shiro as he fought the Full Armor Gundam with a beam saber. The sabers they're using were at their lowest setting so that they won't do damage to the Gundam's when they hit. Karen smirked to herself as she aimed her beam rifle at the Full Armor. Before she could pull the trigger, the Full Armor flew up, making her shoot Shiro's Gundam instead. As red lights appeared all over his cockpit, signifying he was taken out, Shiro sighed as he watched the Full Armor go to the ground and placed its beam saber at Karen's cockpit. Gritting her teeth at this, Karen slowly moved her Gundam's foot near the Full Armors'. Before Amuro could react, she then went full throttle and tipped the Full Armor. Just as it tried to get up, Karen brought down her beam rifle and pointed it at the cockpit. She then pulled the trigger, causing red lights to appear all over Amuro's cockpit.

 ***Sighs*** Damnit." Said Amuro as he restarted the Gundam. With the exercise over, Karen put away the beam rifle and helped Amuro up.

"Don't beat yourself up, kid. You did pretty good in your first try." Karen then looked to see the carnage on what Amuro, and Vega did. In his first move, Amuro managed to take out Terry and Agar at the same time. Vega then took out a Guncannon as it was about to fire its shoulder guns, loaded with dud rounds, at the Gundam. Amuro then proceeded to fly up and take out the other Guncannon, leaving Karen and Shiro alone to deal with him. It was a good fight, but Karen won the day by tripping the Gundam up.

"Yeah." Said Shiro as he walked up to Amuro. "You'll get the hang of this. Don't worry. If this exercise is any indication, you'll be able to beat all of us without even relying on Vega too much." Amuro just nodded.

"Thanks." Said Amuro with a smile. "You think we can do practice drills with Kai and Hayato. We've been through a lot and I want to include them into this." Shiro just nodded at that.

"No problem. They could use the training too. Just tell them to meet us here in two hours." Amuro just said that he'll do that. With that, Shiro ordered everyone to follow him back to the White Base. As they approached the White Base, Bright was looking at them.

"What do you think Mirai? Is Amuro improving?" Mirai just nodded.

"I think so Bright. He's getting better as a pilot and it looks like some of those moves were by him alone and not Vega. I don't know if that's a good or bad sign, though." Bright just nodded. He remembered the conversation he had with Shiro, who told him of Amuro's plight and how he wanted to help train him into avoiding relying on Vega too much. Though Bright disagreed with the idea was doing it alone and not asking others for help at first, Bright also knew that it was something that needed to be done. It was something that was taught to him in the officer's academy. Never rely on something too much or else it'll impede your ability to adapt. So, he allowed Amuro to train with the 08th MS team so that he can fix this problem. And so far, it seemed to be working. He was about to comment on Mirai's plight when Matilda came toward them.

"Bright." Said Matilda as she saluted him, who saluted back. "I just got word from Revil. He has new orders for us." She then gave him a piece of paper. "We're to head to these coordinates and wait for orders to move in on the enemy. They want us to take out the enemies new mobile weapon when it appears. From there, we're to hit the enemy with hit and run attack, demoralizing them." Bright just nodded. It looks like they had ten hours to get to these coordinates, more than enough time for one more drill.

"Tell, Shiro and Amuro to do one more practice drill. After that, we're all to leave for our assigned location." Mirai just nodded before going over to Sayla. With that, Bright looked at Matilda. "Are you fine with coming with us lieutenant?" Matilda just smiled.

"I'll be fine lieutenant. My men and I don't have anywhere else to go, so might as well join the people we helped saved. Besides, by the time we get back, there won't be much to do as the battle would be close to starting. The supply corps will have nothing to do until the closing hours of this operation." Bright just nodded in understanding before going back to watching the mobile suits approaching the White Base. When they did, Bright couldn't help but pray for their safety. As the upcoming battle will take everything they got and perhaps even more.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

 **RedRat8- I see your point. Thank you for your praise. I do try to please as best as I can.**

 **As for the EZ-8…actually yeah. I liked the design it had. The only problem I could see is that, unlike in the 08** **th** **show, the Federation wasn't lacking in much in terms of supplies to replace the Gundam ground types parts and weapons. So, I'm not sure of how to implement the EZ-8 logically. I'll think on it more.**

 **As for the Mudrock. Yes, Agar will have it and he'll use it in the battle for California base.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- No, Haros won't be used like in 00. If anything, they'll be used as much children toys here. And perhaps be used to spy on people by the Titans or the Vist foundation.**

 **Yeah maybe, but I didn't see how it could connect with the rest of the chapter, particularly the beginning, well. I think on the matter more when I upload double chapters.**

 **As for the simulation mode…damnit. Well, I done goofed and forgot about that. I'll just try to explain that they did several simulations beforehand and wanted to see if he improved at all in a real-life mock battle. Or something.**

 **As for the new MS, I doubt it. The gundam ground type was the best mass-produced gundam available. The rest were just one-offs.**

 **As for the side stories, I might consider. I was actually planning to have some chapters dedicated to Shiro, and the retaking of California base, but I might do that instead.**

 **Guest- He'll be angry of that, that I assure you. And yes, it was.**

 **R reyes- Yes, this will go up to Unicorn. Then it'll be over.**

 **Dragon lord Syed 101- Yeah, I suppose it does.**

* * *

 **Revil's battlegroup**

 **Ten minutes from Odessa Day**

* * *

As the countdown to Odessa day was commencing, soldiers were making their final preparations. Checking their weapons for any malfunctions, sending their last letters to their families, and making their final prayers to whatever religion they believe in. As NCOs and officers were giving the men a final rundown on the plan, they looked over at the enemy, grimly wondering if they'll be the first to die or if they'll survive the battle at all. Revil, meanwhile, was sitting in the commander's chair of his Big tray. He was currently contemplating if their current plan will work. He had no reason to suspect that M'Quve will suspect the fake battle plans, but the man as been proven to be smart in terms of battle tactics before and he worried that the man will figure out and act accordingly against them.

" **Too late to change our plans now."** Thought Revil. " **We delayed the operation a day already, we can't afford to give more time, otherwise more Zeon reinforcements will arrive."** Looking at Selina, he asked what the forward recon groups saw.

"They saw the enemy packing up their AA defenses and bringing up more anti-armor in the front lines, sir. It appears that M'Quve feel for our trap." Though he heard the hope in her words, Revil wasn't as sure.

"Or he could be trying to trick us into believing that he fell for it." Said Revil before sighing. "Lets hope your right, though Selina. Cause the fate of many men are riding on this plan to succeed." Taking a deep breath, he ordered the operation to begin. Upon hearing that, the comm officers of the Big Tray began to radio in the order to the other battlegroups, telling them to move forward with the operation. It only took a few moments before the skies filled with scout planes and their escorts. As what little AA fire was peppering the skies, Revil prayed that their plan worked. A few minutes pass and the Big trays began to get targeting data from the scout planes on important enemy positions. With that data, the Big Trays began to put up a barrage that was soon grew in intensity as other artillery weapons began to get the targeting data and added their own firepower to the barrage. Within the first few seconds of the volley, they managed to destroy most of the mobile suits stationed in the first two defense lines, whatever anti-armor weapons were they had, and even destroyed the two Gallop battleships and crippling the Dabude. After two minutes passed, bomber soon arrived and launched smoke bombs on the enemy forces. Seeing this, tank columns and mobile suit teams charged in with the rest of the Federation forces following them.

" **So far so good."** Thought Revil as his big tray moved in with the rest of the battle group. **"It seems M'Quve did fall for our trick, after all. We may just win this."** With renewed hope, Revil watched as his forces engaged what Zeon forces were left in the first defense line and pushing forward to the scattered remains of the 2nd.

* * *

 **M'Quve**

 **Later**

* * *

"What do you mean the enemy has broken through our first two lines!?" Demanded M'Quve as a commander from their third line was contacting him about the breaking of the first two lines. "I sent sufficient arms to help repel the enemy. How could they breach them so easily?"

"Sir, the enemy started out with sending fighters at us before following up with an artillery barrage!" Yelled the commander as bombardment from the enemy's Big trays and whatever artillery they had began to hit their lines. "They pounded the first two lines to submission and charged right through to the 3rd line! With nothing left to fight, aside from a couple of mobile suits and a crippled Dabude as any actual opposition, the enemy just steamrolled through the first two lines. We're trying to fight them back, but we don't have enough antiarmor here. We need reinforcements!" M'Quve just gritted his teeth, realizing that he'd been tricked. Looking at the documents that Judock sent, M'Quve began to get a picture of what happened.

Revil must have figured out who was the mole in his ranks and had Elron and Judock arrested. He then proceeded to send him fake battle plans so that he'll plan and direct his forces accordingly to those battle plans. And M'Quve fell for his trick hook line and sinker.

"Well played, Revil." Said M'Quve as he threw the documents away. "Well played. But you're mistaken if you think that this will stop me." He then looked at the commander. "Hold the enemy as long as you can. I'm sending what mobile suits I can spare to assist in your defense." Before the man can respond, the connection suddenly broke. Frowning at this, M'Quve looked out his window to see massive explosion happening across the 3rd battle line.

* * *

 **Revil**

 **Few minutes later**

* * *

"This is battlegroup Delta, we're engaging the enemy in the 3rd battle line! They're holding their ground! Requesting reinforcements to help break through."

"This is battlegroup Sigma. Mobile suit team 7 managed to take out the Dabude and whatever mobile suits in our sector. We're moving up to the 3rd battle line now."

"This is 3rd armored division! We're under heavy enemy artillery! We need air support!" As the communication staff of Revil's big tray tried to listen and send the appropriate responses to the various field commanders out there, Revil was watching a holographic display of the battlefield. So far, things were going in their favor. After taking out the first and second lines, his forces were now starting to engage the enemies 3rd battle lines, where they have since prepared for them since the fall of the first two defense lines. Though they still had the upper hand in that the enemy was caught off guard with their little trick, the enemy was still putting up a good fight. Revil was hearing reports of Zeon soldiers not breaking and continuing to fight despite the massive opposition and the fact that they just broke their first two lines with ease. Such tenacity and bravery certainly deserved respect. Unfortunately for him, he was facing people with said tenacity and bravery. Humming to himself, Revil wondered when the enemies new mobile weapon will show up.

" **Its probably in the fourth line as a final ace in the sleeves. Or is just waiting in reserve, ready to attack when we least expect it. I just hope the White Base crew can take it out before it does too much damage."** Seeing that the right flank was getting hammered, Revil ordered an airstrike to be made on the Gallops causing that flank trouble. Looking back at the screen, Revil continued to monitor for any anomalies that can cause trouble for them.

* * *

 **3** **rd** **armored division**

* * *

Private Allen went to the ground as a grenade went off, taking out several Federation soldiers. As medics rushed to the survivors, the private got up and rushed toward his commanding officer, one sergeant Dornan, as he rallied up those still able to fight.

"Get up, you morons! You aren't going to insult the Federation by dying today without taking out, at least, three of those Zeon maggots! Now get ready to hold the line! We will to hold out until either a tank group or a mobile suit team comes and saves our sorry asses!" With that, Dornan grabbed his rifle and hunkered down behind a destroyed tank. Everyone else either followed his example or went to the ground, hoping that they won't get hit with sniper fire or some artillery shell hits near them. Allen just gulped as he took his position with Dornan, who got ready to fight. As they waited for the Zeons to push towards them, Allen remembered how everything went.

It all went so smoothly. After they took the 2nd defense line, the 3rd armored division went forward of the rest of battlegroup Delta, hoping to be the first to gain some glory. Unfortunately, all it had was leave them vulnerable to enemy fire. When the enemy zeroed in on their location, they opened fire with their artillery, quickly suppressing and separating them. Once the barrage had ended, about a 3rd of the division was dead or dying with most of their vehicles destroyed or disabled. With the barrage gone, the survivors began to create a makeshift defense until the rest of the battlegroup arrived. Unfortunately, they were several miles away as the enemy was focusing their firepower on the battlegroup and the rest as they finished their sectors of the 2nd defense line and began making their way to the 3rd battle line, leaving them alone until the battlegroups pushed the enemy back. Allen hoped that would be soon because he was already hearing the sounds of Zeon fast attack vehicles coming. Just as he predicted, a group of thirty Wappa hover bikes were on their way to take out any survivors before they could link up with the rest of the Federation forces. Upon seeing the Wappas, Dorn told everyone to get ready. Aiming their guns, everyone waited until they were in range. Once they were, they opened fired.

The Wappa, like most Zeon vehicles, was poorly designed for Earth's atmosphere. Due to their Spacenoid nature, they had little to no experience when it came to designing effective vehicles to compensate for factors like Earth's atmosphere. But it seems the Wappa was a pinnacle of poor Zeon designs. The hover bike completely exposed the pilot to the environment and enemy fire, making it relatively easy for a soldier to kill the operator of a Wappa. And the only weapon it had was a heavy machinegun that had to be manually operated by the pilot, which meant they had to drive with only one hand, something that is advised against when operating something as fast as a Wappa. Though its intended role was that or a recon vehicle, the Wappa was still deployed as a form of fast attack by the Zeons due to its high speed. Unfortunately, the design of the Wappa worked against it in this role as the Federation soldiers managed to gun down ten Wappa pilots before the rest can open fire. When they did, the soldiers took cover while the ones on the ground prayed they didn't get hit. As the Wappas fired, the few type 61 tanks still operational open fired, actually taking out a few of the Wappas as they tried to evade. When they passed, the Wappa pilots stuck some explosives on some of the surviving tanks. Before anyone could get away, the explosives went off, either disabling the tanks or causing them to blow up when the explosives managed to get to the tank's ammo storage. The explosions also caught a few soldiers who were close to the blast.

Gritting his teeth, Allen took aim and fired a burst at a passing Wappa, who tried to stick an explosive charge on a surviving tank. The bullets hit the pilot, who then crashed into another Wappa, taking them both out.

"Nice work, private! Now keep it up!" Yelled Dornan as he took two other Wappas out as they tried to stick explosives on the surviving tanks. Allen just nodded as he fought back against the remaining Wappas, who went to just circling around the survivors, waiting for an opportunity to present itself where they can shoot one of the Federation soldiers. A dangerous cat and mouse game then commenced as each side took advantage of a mistake the other made and killed a soldier or two. Eventually, after a few minutes, the Wappas fell back. Confused, everyone got up and wondered why they retreated. They got their answer when one of the Federation troops saw two Goufs coming at them.

"Get out the anti-mobile suit weapons now!" Yelled Dornan as people began to scramble for the surviving jeeps they had, searching for their anti-mobile suit weapons, which were missile launchers equipped with special missiles designed to penetrate a mobile suit's thick armor and explode in the insides of a suit. Unfortunately, they could only grab three before the Goufs opened fired with their machine guns. The large shells destroyed the remaining tanks as they were the biggest danger to the Goufs as their main guns can penetrate a mobile suit's armor if hit at the range the Goufs were currently in. As the Goufs continued to approach, the three anti-mobile suit launchers were being set up and loaded. Once they were all loaded and set up, the operators took aim at the Goufs and fired. Upon registering the three missiles, the Goufs either sidestepped out of the way or flew up into the air to dodge the missiles. Dornan gritted his teeth as the operators reloaded the launchers as fast as possible. What the Goufs just did showcased the drawbacks of the portable anti-mobile suit weapons the Federation army had.

While the anti-mobile suit missiles they had could disable a mobile suit in one shot if they hit the right spot, they relied on radar and the like to accurately hit the target, which meant that they're horribly ineffective when Minovsky particles were in the area. When they were, the missile's targeting and lock-on systems were, essentially, useless and forced them to rely on manual aiming, which allowed enemy mobile suits to dodge them with relative ease, so long as the pilot detected the missile quick enough. And it seemed luck wasn't on their side today and even more so as the Goufs aimed their machine guns and fired, shooting at where the missiles came from. The gunfire destroyed their surviving launchers and the operators along with killing a bunch of other Federation soldiers. Having been in cover behind a wrecked tank, Dornan, Allen and a bunch of other troops were safe along with some others behind other destroyed vehicles. Everyone else, however, was dead. If they weren't killed by the artillery and Wappa attack, they died from the Gouf attack, having been killed by flying shrapnel or the machine gun fire. Allen was shaking in his boots as he looked at his commander.

"Sir, what do we do?" Asked Allen, fear in his voice. "I don't want to die here. I got a little brother and sister back home to take care of." Dornan just looked at the boy and the others, giving a grunt. Most of the survivors were just eighteen or nineteen, very few of them were seasoned soldiers. If Dornan had to guess, most joined this unit because of the pay to help support their families and that fact it was less dangerous to be in an armored division than an infantry division as you have a massive tank covering you at all times. But look where that ended up, that massive tank got blown all to hell by a new player of warfare, the mobile suit. If he was told that a mech would beat a tank, Dornan would have laughed his ass off, saying a tank would always beat a mech. Well, he was eating those words now because the two Goufs were approaching the survivors, trying to determine if any survived. As he heard the sounds of heavy thumbing, Dornan looked at Allen again and the others, seeing them scared out of their minds on what the Zeons will do to them. Much as he wanted to comfort them and say it was all right, the sergeant knew that nothing he could say can comfort them that wasn't truthful. He wasn't going to lie to these boys just to provide them a brief comfort only for that to shatter when the Zekes torture and then kill them, that is if they don't kill them right here. Deciding to just remain silent, Dornan waited as the Goufs were about to reach their location. When they did, the survivors can literally see the mobile suit's shadow and its fearsome head. Just as the Goufs were about to scan for survivors, they suddenly jerked their heads forward and grabbed their shields from their backs. They raised them just in time as a barrage of machine gun fire hit their shields. The survivors were shocked to see this and were trying to process this. After a few seconds one yelled out and pointed to the Federation lines, where a team of three GM ground types were approaching their location. The survivors cheered as the GMs began to engage the Goufs, who charged forward, knowing that their guns will be useless against the GM ground types armor, and ignored what survivors were left. As the mobile suits got closer to each other, the grabbed their close-range weapons, either a heat sword or beam saber, and engaged in melee combat.

As two GM engaged one Gouf, the last one engaged the last one, having not engaged its beam saber, confusing the survivors as its opponent had its heat sword out. They worried for the pilots safety as the Gouf swung at the GM, but were stunned when the GM bent over, avoiding the strike, and bringing out its saber. As the GM was about to pass the Gouf, the GM activated its saber and stabbed the Gouf in the cockpit. The stab, fortunately, didn't cause the reactor to go critical and explode. Instead the stab only killed the pilot and disabled the suit. As the GM pushed the Gouf away from its saber, the survivors looked to see the other two GMs finishing off the other Gouf, having one distract it so that the other can go for the killing blow. With the area now clear, the GMs looked at the survivors, their AI having detected that there were a few.

"Are you alright?" Asked the mobile suit team leader as he approached the survivors. Dornan, the sole surviving commanding officer of the platoon, walked up to the GM and yelled out.

"Considering you're here, yeah. We are." The sergeant then looked around and saw the youngest soldiers in his commander were looking in awe at the GM, their savior. "Are there any other survivors of the 3rd armored division? We got separated from the rest." The GM nodded its head.

"Yeah, other mobile suit teams and tank groups have pushed forward to them, rescuing any survivors we could find. I recommend you pull back to, orders from your superior officers. APCs are coming to pick you up." Dornan just nodded, grateful for the orders. He then turned to his soldiers.

"Move out maggots! Our part in this operation is done! We're heading back to the sidelines!" The soldiers sighed in relief, some crying tears of joy, before beginning to pack up. With their job done here, the GMs moved forward, their part not done in the operation. As they left, they didn't notice Dornan looking at them, shaking his head that mobile suits have taken the spotlight in warfare now.

* * *

 **Revil's battlegroup**

* * *

Meanwhile, in another section of the operation, Revil's battlegroup, along with battlegroup Sigma and Alpha, the battlegroup that Elron used to be in charge before Chase took command after Elron was arrested for treason, were charging forward to help battlegroup Delta, who was struggling to break through the 3rd battle line. This was largely due to the many Dabude and Gallop battleships in the 3rd and 4th defense lines raining down heavy ordnance on their heads. Delta's Big trays were doing the same but they weren't as intensive as the Zeons because they only had three, the rest were spread out amongst the other battlegroups. It appears they needed all their Big trays to break through the 3rd enemy line. Revil, monitoring the battle, watched as his Big Tray fired and took out a pillbox that was giving a column of tanks some trouble. With the pillbox gone, the tanks moved up and helped nearby infantry by taking out some entrenched machineguns suppressing them. With their threats gone, the tanks and infantry pushed forward. Just a few seconds after they did, however, a Dom came and opened fire on the tanks, taking out three tanks with its bazooka before bringing out its heat saber and going into melee range. The tanks tried to take it out, but the Dom was too fast and close for them to do anything effectively against it.

When it got in range, the Dom bisected one tank before stabbing another in the middle, killing the crew with the extreme heat of the saber alone. It then flew up in the air and using the last of its ammo in taking out the most of the surviving tanks. It was about to finish them off and go for the infantry when a Big Tray came and began its attack on the 3rd defense line. Seeing a bigger prey for it, the Dom disengaged and charged at the Big Tray, joining up with other Doms.

As they approached the Big Tray, its defense forces, consisting of GMs and tanks, began to open fire. Though the tanks failed to failed to hit their targets on account of the Dom's speed, the GMs, equipped with their AIs, were able to accurately predict the path that the Doms would take and fired their machine guns and bazookas at them. Though the machine guns failed to take out the Doms, lacking the penetrating power needed to punch through the heavy armor, the bazookas, in a few hits, took out several Doms before they could fire at the Big Tray. Seeing that the GMs would be a problem, most of the Doms, four in total, charged at the GMs, who numbered six, while two went to take out the Big Tray. Seeing the Doms coming, the GMs stood their ground and opened fired. The Doms, now prepared, dodged the GMs attack and opened fire with their bazookas. Seeing the incoming bazookas rounds, the GMs raised their shields to block the rounds. Unfortunately, one didn't raise it shield in time and was slammed with several bazooka rounds, taking it out, not even the Luna titanium armor it had was able to save it. Seeing that the Doms were now close, the GMs grabbed their beam sabers and engaged the Doms coming at them while the tanks dealt with the ones attacking the Big Tray.

As the mobile suits clashed, the Doms used their superior speed to take a swing at the GMs before the pilots could react. Unfortunately for the Doms, the GMs assigned to protect the Big Trays were all equipped with AIs on account of how expensive a single Big Tray was. Because of this, the GMs were able to predict the attacks and countered by ducking or raising their shields to block the heat sabers, though they lost the shields in the process. Before the Dom pilots could react, the GMs counterattacked, stabbing the cockpits or cutting the arms holding the heat sabers. With three down, the remaining Doms fell back and brought out their bazookas with their remaining arm. Before one could fire however, one was bit with a barrage of machinegun fire. As the Dom was hit with a barrage of bullets, a GM threw its beam saber at the suppressed Dom. The beam saber, hit the generator, causing the Dom to explode. The remaining Dom, seeing it was the last survivor, charged at the GMs, using it chest beam gun to blind the pilots. Unfortunately, this didn't effect the AIs, who aimed their guns and opened fire, obliterating the Dom as it fired a bazooka round at the Big Tray. Unfortunately, the rocket only hit the side armor, which held and didn't do anything to the Big Tray.

With their threat gone, the GMs went to help the tanks, who were fighting a losing battle against the Doms, having lost all but six to the Doms, but they did prevent the Doms from seriously damaging the Big Tray by forcing them to either take a shot at the Big Tray and be destroyed as a result or continue to dodge and miss hitting a vital spot of the Big Tray, like the bridge tower or the main forward guns. Seeing that the GMs were coming, the Dom pilots decided to sacrifice their lives to take out the Big Tray. With that in mind, the Doms charged, ignoring the tanks as they tried to take a shot at the Doms. Once they reached the Big Tray, they flew up to the tower and began to unload their remaining rockets at the bridge. From there, the first few rockets broke through the armored tower before the last two went inside the beast and blow up, killing the bridge crew, disabling the Big Tray. Relishing in their victory, the pilots didn't care as the GMs blasted them in retaliation. As this was happening, a comm officer was telling Revil of what had happened.

" **Damnit."** Swore Revil in his mind as he saw that one of his Big Trays were taken out by Doms. He needed all of them for the 3rd and 4th lines. Taking a deep breath, he ordered an airstrike to be done on the Dabudes and Gallops, followed up with a carpet bombing on enemy trenches the furthest away from their own lines. With those orders, fighter planes and bombers took from the closets make-shift airbases to take out the enemy battleships. Within a few minutes, the skies was swooping with Saberfish fighters, loaded with missiles and bombs. Upon seeing the Saberfish fighters, Dopp fighters were launched and the two fighters began a massive dogfight. One that the Saberfish was winning as, again aside from Mobile suits, the Zeons had very poor vehicle designs. Aside from superior speed, the Dopp was no match against the Saberfish as the escort fighters were making short work of the Zeon fighters. One pilot in particular was able to take out five Dopps at once with just his machineguns when they tried to take out the fighters he was escorting. This enabled the bomb-equipped fighters to make an attack run on enemy trenches, blowing them to smithereens and lessening the amount of fire the ground forces had to deal with. Other fighters launched their missiles at Gallop or Dabude battleships, either destroying the bridges with some well-placed missiles or taking out their exposed guns, making them essentially useless. With the airstrike done, the fighters left to refuel and rearm so that they can be useful in the final attack. Seeing that the airstrike was effective, Revil ordered all battlegroups to push forward, with no one disagreeing, the airstrike raised everyone's confidence and the Federation pushed with renewed vigor.

* * *

 **Zeon trench line**

* * *

"Retreat! Retreat! Its hopeless!" Yelled a Zeon soldier as he got out of the trench he was in and began running for the 4th defense line. The man didn't get far before he was shot in the back by an officer.

"Stand your ground, soldiers! Desertion is a capital offense! And I will shoot you all if any of you leave your trenches and run like cowards! Now do your nation proud and fight! Today, we will tri…" The officer didn't get to say anymore when a Federation tank column came and fired at the section of the trench the officer was in, taking him out and any other soldiers that were near him. The remaining soldiers just gulped before opening fire on any Federation soldiers that were out in the open and not behind an armored tank or APC. The Federation, meanwhile, charged toward the remaining trenches, where soldiers from both sides engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat. Fighting each other with their rifle butts, knives, or even their fists on occasion. One soldier in particular was hitting a Federation soldier repeatedly with his helmet. After bludgeon the man to death, the soldier took a deep breath and looked out of his trench to see a Zaku destroying a column of type 61 tanks and throwing a grenade at a platoon of Federation soldiers, killing most of them and scattering the survivors. Upon seeing this, the man smiled. Even if it was now, technically outdated, the Zaku was considered a symbol of Zeon might. It fought in the early battles of the One Year War and was the major factor in their victory in Loum. And even in the fight to Earth, it enabled them to fight against the much larger and technologically advanced Federation to a stalemate. Truly, it had no equal in the Federation arsenal, aside from the Trojan Horse and its mobile suits. So, when the man saw a Federation mobile suit coming at it with a team of two others, he wanted to laugh.

The thing wasn't as elegantly designed or as inspiring as the Zaku. It had no face to speak of. Just a blue visor where the eyes were and a chin. The thing was blocky and ugly too look at with its color scheme. And the emblem of the Federation made him want to destroy it with his bare hands. This thing could hardly be called a mobile suit. He so wanted to laugh and humiliate the ones that designed this thing. But it appears he won't have the chance as the three mobile suits encircled the lone Zaku. He growled at this. Damn Federation. They were cowards, the lot of them. They'd rather use their superior numbers and nothing else. They don't give a damn of a fair fight and being true men. They'd rather win at all cost and threw the notion of honor to the ground. Expecting the Federation mobile suits to gang up on the Zaku, the soldier was surprised to see one motion for the others to leave and help the other Federation forces. After some slight hesitation, the two other mobile suits left, leaving the Zaku to face the lone Federation mobile suit.

" **It appears that this one has some backbone."** Thought the soldier as the two mobile suits attacked each other. " **Pointless though. The Zaku will win. That Federation lacky doesn't even know how to operate a mobile suit right."** He then watched as the two suits duked it out, he watched as the two fired their weapons as they charged at each other, not damaging the other in any significant way. Seeing their guns were useless, they tossed them away and drew out their close combat weapons. The Zaku swung first, bringing down its heat hawk at the federation mobile suit, who went in for a stab. The watched in anticipation as the heat hawk went down, believing the federation mobile suit was finished. He was then shocked when the mobile suit stopped its attack and side stepped, causing the Zaku to miss and allow it to slice the arm carrying the heat hawk off. The man watched in disbelief as the arm fell to the ground, not believing for a second that a federation mobile suit just beat a Zaku, a tried and tested mobile suit that beat the Federation back numerous times. **"Impossible! It..its just a fluke! It must be! The pilot got lucky. The Zaku will show it."** And it appeared to will as it tackled the federation mobile suit down, sending it to the ground. Before it could get up, the Zaku slammed its foot repeatedly at the federation mobile suits head, eventually breaking the blue visor and exposing the innerworkings of the federation mobile suit. As the mobile suit tried to recover, the Zaku went to grab its heat hawk. When it did, it went over and brought it down on the mobile suit's chest, seemingly ending the battle. Sighing in relief, the man smirked as the Zaku towered over its opponent in victory. " **Beginners luck, like I thought. The Federation can never hope to make a mass-produced mobile suit that can beat a Zaku. If they can't do that, then they have no hope to beat a Dom or a Gouf in a one on one fight."** The man was about to fight in his trench when he got the sight of the downed mobile suit twitching. Looking back to see if his eyes weren't deceiving him, he watched in disbelief as the mobile suit brought out another saber-like weapon, slash at the Zaku's legs and then proceeded to stab the Zaku in the cockpit. The man watched, horrified, as the Federation mobile suit pushed the Zaku away from its saber, now the victor of its fight.

" **It can't be! It can't!"** Thought the man as he tried to rationalize this without giving the Federation any credit. **"The mobile suit got lucky! That's it! It only won due to luck! If the Zaku didn't fall for it, it would have won! I'm sure of it! Sneaky Federation! Can't fight honorably at all! That's why this war is being fought! Because of you! Mark my words, even if you win this war, true Zeon fighters will always fight you, no matter what! Because we see you for what you are! Monsters and cowards. Nothing more!"** The man kept this level of thought, even as the federation mobile suit came and began to drag its beam saber along the trench areas that were fully under Zeon control, incinerating anyone close to the saber and inadvertently killing the man in the process, who was so engulfed in his thoughts that he didn't see the beam coming at him until it was too late. All across the 3rd defense line, Federation forces were taking ground and elimination any Zeon forces that weren't able to retreat in time. Stragglers fought as hard as they could but the battle was over, the 3rd defense line fell. And now the final phase of the operation would begin.

* * *

 **Revil**

* * *

"Excellent work people!" Said Revil as the 3rd defense line fell. "Now we just have to take the 4th and this battle will be over." He was about to give his orders when a comm officer spoke out.

"Sir, incoming message! Its…from the enemy?" Raising an eyebrow, Revil told the man to confirm that. "Its in an enemy frequency, sir. Its on an open channel too." Wondering what this was about, Revil ordered the message be played. Once it played, Revil soon recognized the voice, having heard it from video feeds back when the Antarctic treaty was being signed. M'Quve.

"Dear Revil. Congratulations on getting this far. You've certainly earned your position as a general. Unfortunately, this is as far as you go. And I have just the means to prevent you from proceeding any further." Revil narrowed his eyes at that. What was M'Quve up to? "If you don't pull back your forces immediately, then we'll be forced to use our nuclear missile." Everyone's eyes that heard that widened their eyes in shock while Revil just narrowed his. Was M'Quve insane? Usage of nuclear missiles were banned completely by the Antarctic treaty. What was he thinking? "Now I'm fully well aware that the usage of nuclear weapons was banned by the Antarctic treaty, but I also would like for my nation to win this war, even if it means that I have to break the Antarctic treaty. So, I'll say this again. Pull back all your forces, or be prepared to lose them all in a nuclear explosion. I'll give you half an hour to make your decision." With that the transmission ended. Once it did, everyone looked at Revil, who was sitting stoic in his chair. After a few minutes, the man looked at everyone and waved his hand forward, telling them to move ahead. Looking at each other, the comm people gave his orders, trusting his judgement. With everyone else at work, Selina looked at Revil.

"Are you sure that is the wisest course of action, sir?" Asked Selina, fearing for hers, Revils, and every other Federation soldier in the Odessa region. Revil just sighed before speaking.

"I'm afraid my hands are tied Selina. We have to take Odessa or else we'll lose this war. We've put much at stake in this operation. Both in terms of resources and soldier moral. I won't let a threat of a nuclear bomb prevent us from winning this operation." He then looked at Selina. "And if M'Quve indeed does have a nuclear weapon in his disposal, then I'm afraid that the White Base will have to prevent them from using it." Selina just gulped at that, not liking the odds of them being able to stop the launch. She calculated the odds and they weren't a pretty sight. Nodding her head, Selina left Revil, who began to order a comm officer to inform the White Base that they have new orders.

* * *

 **The wider battlefield**

 **Few minutes later**

* * *

Within moments, all the battlegroup heard Revil's orders regarding the nuclear threat, and followed them, even if some commanders wanted to pull back and retreat. With the combined might of all four battlegroups, the Federation fought with everything they had against the Zeon's final defense lines, which were the strongest.

The remaining Dabude and Gallops, three and six respectively, opened fire on mobile suit teams and tank columns as they approached, their large caliber guns obliterating the first few before the rest scattered. In the skies above, fighter bombers and their escorts began making their attack runs as Dopp fighters and remaining anti-aircraft guns tried to stop them. Though a few were lost to enemy fire, the majority managed to drop their payload on the enemy forces, taking out entrenched Magella tanks, small artillery batteries, pill boxes, and even the occasional Zeon mobile suit who was too distracted in shooting the fighters to notice that several bombs were approaching it. A 2nd wave of bombers then approached, this time unleashing smoke bombs to cover the advance of the Federation forces. With the Federation forces covered with smoke, the Zeon forces were forced to fire blindly in hopes of actually hitting their enemy.

The Federation forces, meanwhile, hunkered down with mobile suits as a vanguard. They were waiting for the Big Trays to commence their artillery barrage. Unknown to the Zeons, hidden among the bombers were surveillance fighters equipped with various scanning tech and cameras to help map out the enemy's positions. Though Minovsky particles have interfered with the scanning tech significantly, to the point that the planes had to be extremely close to the enemy, they still managed to get good enough data for the Big Trays to open fire on enemy hard targets, like the battleships. Aiming all their long-range guns at the enemy, the Big Trays opened fire, which was followed up with Guntank support and various individual artillery units. The retaliation fire from the Federation rained down on the Zeons, who were forced to hunker down as the barrage went on, taking down their pillboxes, mobile suits, and even their land battleships. But that wasn't all. As the Zeons were hunkered down, the Federation moved in with the mobile suits in the front. Undeterred as the barrage continued, tank columns and mobile suits opened fire on trenches and enemy mobile suits that tried to attack back, taking out a good chunk of the front lines before they retaliated. Surviving, entrenched Magella tanks focused fire on the GMs, taking them out in a few hits, while hidden Zeon mobile suits, who had been hiding in large holes made for them, flew out of their fox holes when enemy GMs approached them and began hawking them apart with their heat weapons. The Federation, not willing to lose their momentum, pressed forward as the barrage ended and the bulk of the force arrived with the Big Trays in the middle providing support fire.

* * *

 **Revil**

* * *

"This is 04th mobile suit team leader! I lost my wing mans and I'm in the thick of it! Requesting assistance now!"

"This is 09th MS team! We read you. We're on our way! Hold on!"

"This is tank column five! We just taken out a Dom and a Zaku! We actually taken a mobile suit out! Hel…"

"This is tank column eighty-nine! We've encountered a damaged Gallop still firing its main guns at us! We're taking it out now! Firing solution at grid four nine! Fire!"

"This is platoon nine of the 8th armored. We're engaging the enemy in the trenches. Its chaos here. I lost good men in these. Requesting a flame unit to come here and…Jenkins watch out!" The sounds of machinegun fire ended the transmission.

"General Revil! This is colonel Chase! I've just received word that the new enemy weapon is engaging the White Base! It seems that the Zeons truly want that ship gone. I'm sending fighters to help them take it out now. This is our chance! Let's take Odessa today!" Revil just hummed as he took this in. With the new enemy weapon distracted with the White Base, this was a boon and curse for them. A boon because it prevented that thing from engaging his forces. A curse because its distracting the White Base from taking out M'Quve's nuclear missile if his threat wasn't a bluff. Praying to whatever gods there were, Revil watched as his forces steadily pushed back the enemy. They were taking casualties, especially their mobile suits despite their AIs, but it was clear that they're winning this battle. It seemed that victory was in their grasp. Revil was about to give his last orders when one of his comm officers yelled out.

"Sir! We just got confirmation of a nuclear launch!" Yelled the comm officer. Revil clenched his fists at that. Damn M'Quve. What is he thinking? Even if the missile turned the tide, the backlash for the violation of the treaty will turn people from the other sides away from Zeon and to the Federation, who had upheld the treaty to this day. Springing into action, he turned to the man.

"Is the White Base able to intercept?" Asked Revil. Another comm operator yelled out.

"They just sent the Full Armor to deal with it. The rest are dealing with the new mobile weapon and its escorts. Are fighters are engaging them now." Hearing that made Revil looked at the man.

"Tell the fighters to keep the enemy at bay. We can't let that nuke go off!" The operator then scrambled to relay the orders. "The rest of you! Tell the battlegroups to move forward! There no point in trying to escape the blast." The others, knowing he was right, began relay his orders to the right people. Seeing that the Zeon forces were still holding in an area around two Dabudes, Revil was about to give another order when he felt the barrel of a gun at the side of his head. Keeping calm, Revil looked to see a young soldier holding a pistol at his head. The guards in the room, seeing this, rushed toward Revil, guns at the ready. Selina, stunned to see this, simply stepped back as the young man held a gun at the general's head.

"You're insane, Revil! We just gotten confirmation of a nuclear missile and you want to continue forward as if nothing happened!" Yelled the man, his hands shaking. Revil, knowing what is up, raised his hand as soldiers encircled around them, waiting for a chance to take the man down without him taking a shot at the general.

"Lad, I understand you're afraid and that you think my actions are that of the stereotypical Federation general but let me assure you that I would never sacrifice the lives of my men needlessly. The many lives lost this day are something that will weigh in my heart, but that's the life of a general. To send people to their deaths to win a battle or war. The threat of nuclear fallout will not change that. Besides, its too late to turn back and run. Even if some manage to escape the blast radius, the fallout will surly kill them. It's a lose and lose scenario if we turn back now. The only way we can win is to push forward and put our lives in the hand of the White Base. That's the only way we have a shot on surviving and winning this operation." Revil then watched as the man pressed the barrel of the gun to his forehead, not willing to be intimidated.

"Its not the only way! If we pull back now and the White Base does succeed, then more lives will be saved! When the Zeons see that a nuclear missile was used by them with their own caught in the crossfire and see that the Federation cares more about their soldier's lives than the Zeons care about their own, they'll surrender outright. No more have to die! They'll lose their will to fight and we can take them all as POWs! Why can't you see that, sir?!" The soldiers looked at each other, wondering if this man was hearing what he's saying. Selina, meanwhile, was slowly crouching toward the man's back, hand on her pistol. If he focused on Revil for a bit longer, she can take him out. The soldiers, seeing this, kept their eyes on the man, keeping the ruse that they're the only ones there. Revil, meanwhile, saw what Selina was doing and kept his eyes on the man, trying to keep his attention on him.

"A noble suggestion, soldier. And one that I would take if it were true. But I don't have the luxury of taking that suggestion. What if the Zeons will continue fighting, seeing that the launch of the nuclear missile was forced because of us. A last desperate attempt to win this battle. They could be inspired to continue fighting with the launch. Or more likely, they don't even know about the launch at all or even the missile's existence. M'Quve may have kept his common soldiers in the dark of the missile and only his top brass knows of it. They all could be totally oblivious to the missile until its too late. And when we tell them the truth, they'll just think it's a Federation lie and continue fighting. Another thing, if they see us pull back, they'll think we're retreating and shoot us in the back. Or even pursue us, their confidence restored. I'm sorry, lad, but my decision is made. I know you don't understand my decision and agree with it, but please trust me on this." Upon hearing that, the man pressed the barrel even further on his forehead.

"You're just making excuses!" Yelled the man as his trigger finger was beginning to twitch. "I thought you were different Revil, I truly did, but you're just like the rest. Corrupt and uncaring to the men under his command and those that you fight against. You're a fraud and this Federation is nothing more but a system for the rich and powerful. You're a…" He couldn't say anymore when Selina slammed her pistol's butt over his skull and pushed his gun away from Revil, wincing when it fired and hit the ceiling. With the general safe, the soldiers rushed and detained the man. After they escorted him out, Selina began to check Revil for any injuries.

"I'm so sorry for that, sir. I hope he didn't do anything to you." Said Selina as she checked Revil's forehead. The man just gently pushed her hands away and raised his hand.

"Its alright, Selina. I'm alright." Said Revil as he straightened his collar. "Let's just go back to the task at hand. We have an operation that needs tending." Selina was about to say that they may not get the chance when a comm officer yelled out.

"Sir, we just got confirmation! The Full Armor disabled the nuke! Not only that, but the enemy mobile weapon is disabled!" Upon hearing that, everyone cheered out, praising the White Base's crew and its accomplishment. Revil just let out a small smile before ordering that all battlegroup to charge forward. Once everyone heard that the threat of a nuke was over and that the new weapon is gone, the Federation commanders ordered their men in charge, victory now assured. The Zeon forces fought hard, but the outcome was clear to all. Operation Odessa was a success. Odessa was now in control of the Federation.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Revil**

* * *

"Sir, we just got confirmation of this, but thirty minutes ago, a Zanzibar class cruiser had taken off. Moments after the nuke was launched." Revil just sighed when he heard that. M'Quve. Seeing that the battle was lost, the man must have fled with his officers. Shaking his head, Revil looked at Selina.

"What about the resources here? How much have the Zeons mined?" Selina just flipped a page in her clipboard before speaking.

"Well, we're still piling the data from the computers, but it appears to be a fifth of the natural resources here." Revil frowned. That was more than enough to keep Zeon going for a long time. Still, this was a victory and he wasn't going to let that interfere with the success. Though many Zeon forces escaped, he already sent forces to find and destroy them before they could cause future problems for them. The rest were busy taking down any stragglers and securing the mines as well as the city. For him, however, he was waiting along with he other commanders for the White Base, who was landing before them, to congratulate the crew for their valor. Selina was with him, eager to see her daughter again. In a few minutes the entire White Base crew and their reinforcements got out of the ship and walked toward the assembled officers. Bright Noa walked up to Revil and saluted.

"I'm pleased to report that we stopped the nuke and taken out the new enemy weapon. We have the pilot of it alive along with a few other prisoners." Revil nodded at that before extending out his hand, which Bright took and shook.

"You all are brave young men and women." Said Revil to all the White Base crew as they all stared at him. "I'm sorry that you all had to endure such hardships without much help from us. The fact that we allowed it for so long is an error that had gone on for too long. So, allow me to say this, from this day forth, you won't fight without Federation support. We'll now have your backs as we continue our fight with the Principality of Zeon. You have my word." With that Revil, let go of Bright and saluted the man, who saluted back.

* * *

 **Operation Odessa- Operation Odessa was perhaps the bloodiest battle that occurred on Earth's soil in the One Year War. The Federation, lead by general Revil, led a massive attack on the Zeon mining base on Odessa. The idea was that, by taking Odessa and its valuable mines, they'll struck a blow to the Zeons war effort. Though the operation ended in a Federation victory, there were many variables that could have allowed the Zeons to win the day.**

 **The first being the traitor Elron. Having been paid beforehand by the Zeons, the man revealed much of the Federations war plans to the Zeon commander, M'Quve, and would have likely prevented his own battlegroup from doing anything significant in the battle, thus leaving the Federation with only three battlegroups and leaving one of their flanks exposed. Fortunately for the Federation, Elron extended his role as a mole too much and Revil was able to expose him and arrest the man before he could sabotage the operation further. However, that wasn't the only thing he did. Revil, having suspected a mole was in a high ranking position, told all of his subordinate officers that they would be changing their battle strategy as well as delaying the operation. This was, of course, a fluke and Revil leaked fake battle plans to M'Quve, who thought they came from Elron, who had his fellow mole, Judock, tell him so. This, of course, made the Zeons change their battle line configuration to better deal with the new battle plans. Something that was taken advantage of by the Federation.**

 **The fake battle plans had that the Federation will first start off with a blitzkrieg with the mobile suits at the vanguard that would be soon followed up with a mass charge of APCs filled with troops. To counter this, the Zeon forces placed most of their anti-armor weapons on the first defense line, hoping to take them out there. Unfortunately for them, the Federation didn't follow up with this plan and instead went with their original plan, which stated an airstrike will first happen that was soon followed up with an artillery strike. Completely caught off guard, the 1** **st** **and 2** **nd** **lines were devastated and the Zeons found that they were low on anti-armor weapons, forcing them to rely solely on their tanks, mobile suits, and land battleships to do anything against the Federation armor. To make matters worse, the Zeons were still packing up their AA guns to be sent to the back lines. So when the bombers attacked, they also took out a significant portion of the Zeon's anti-air capabilities, thus giving them more room to order airstrikes on key enemy locations.**

 **Of course, the shock didn't last long and the enemy soon regroup and fought fiercely against the Federation, who steadily pushed them back. It was here that the Federation showed their experience in fighting in Earth's atmosphere as well as the Zeon's inexperience in fighting in it. Federation fighters mopped the floor with Zeon fighters, scoring an easy four to one kill ratio while Zeon Wappa bike operators were nearly all wiped out when they tried to make fast attack runs on Federation forces. Despite this, Zeon mobile suits held the Zeon forces together, serving as a beacon of inspiration for Zeon forces, even managing to destroy a Big Tray. This, however, was exploited by the Federation's new mass-produced mobile suits, the GM ground type, who destroyed the suits with relative ease, especially those that had an AI installed. The sight of seeing their beloved suits getting destroyed by the Federations new toys, demoralized Zeon forces and made many flee, which made it easier for the Federation to break through. Eventually, despite fierce opposition, the 3** **rd** **line collapsed, and the Federation made their way to the 4** **th** **battle line. Unfortunately, this was when M'Quve revealed his last gambit.**

 **He threatened to launch a nuclear missile at Federation forces unless they withdraw. Knowing that he couldn't retreat and that doing so will cause morale to plummet, Revil ignored the ultimatum and Federation force pushed forward. This led to M'Quve to launch a nuclear missile, not caring that doing so will cause him to lose many of his own men. Fortunately for both sides, the White Base crew managed to intercept the missile and prevent it from unleashing its payload. To make matter even sweeter, they disabled the enemy new weapon, even capturing the pilot. Military analysts have concluded that, if the enemy weapon wasn't so focused on the White Base, it would have been an enormous headache for the Federation. Its mega particle cannon would have shredded anything in their arsenal, including the Big Tray battleship. With news spreading that the nuke was stopped and the new weapon was disabled, Federation pushed forward with much vigor, knowing that their victory was now assured. With one final push, the Federation broke through the last defense line and began to secure the city of Odessa.**

 **Though many Zeon soldiers and equipment escaped and the cost of the battle was high, the operation was a major tactical victory for the Federation. Not only have they managed to impede Zeon resource gathering operations, they've also taken out a major Zeon base. The operation also boosted recruitment from the various sides still loyal to the Federation and improved morale across the board. The Zeons had also, inadvertently, aided the Federation. When news spread that the Zeons have attempted to launch a nuclear missile, thus violating the Antarctic treaty, sides that were previously on the fence of who to support, like side 6, were outraged. Protest occurred in Side 3 and the other sides were beginning to consider to supporting the Federation in the war as the Federation has, so far, upheld the treaty and have made no moves to violating it. All in all, Operation Odessa was a boon to the Federation and a curse to the Principality, both in terms of military objectives and PR as well.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

 **Thekiller7- Thank you, I actually plan to diverge from canon a bit more after the One Year War, particularly on how the Federation reorganizes their military. Also its fine, family is important and so is work.**

 **R reyes- I made my decision on the EX8. Hopefully it was the right call.**

 **RedRat8- I suppose that could work, though Agar will get the Mudrock Gundam over a new Guncannon. His wing mates might get the new Guncannons though and so will Kai.**

 **I'm not sure about those suits, the G04 and G05. I've looked at them in the wiki and they seem to be a bit too expensive to be given to Karen and Terry. Don't get me wrong, they're good pilots, no doubt, but they're not on the level as someone as Lou or Amuro if you ask me. If anyone is getting those suits it'll probably those two along with a few other ace pilots. We'll see if they get added in at all, though.**

 **Actually, what you said about the Thunderbolt sector may happen, I'm still thinking of ways to add that into the story. As for the GP02 and the Gundam mark 2s, we'll cross that when we get there. For now, I'm focusing on the One Year War.**

* * *

 **White Base**

 **Several hours in of Operation Odessa**

* * *

Amuro was patiently waiting for their part in the operation to start. Tapping his fingers, he looked around to see the other mobile suits were around him, waiting for their part to start as well. Agar and his team were on top of the White Base, ready to fend it from any attacks along with Terry and Hayato. Karen, Kai, and Shiro were with him, ready to ambush any enemy forces before they could spot the ship. Ryu was out on lookout, ready to inform anyone if any enemy forces were approaching them or if the enemy's new mobile weapon was spotted, which then forced them too get out of their positions to fight it. Tapping his fingers, Amuro decided to have a conversation with Vega concerning the operation.

"How goes the operation right now, Vega?" Asked Amuro.

" **From what comm chatter I've been able to get, all Federation forces are at the 3** **rd** **battle line. I calculate that the odds of the Federation being able to breach the line are eighty-thousand, five hundred and thirty-eight to one. That is if the new weapon is intercepted by us in time."** Amuro nodded at that, remembering the orders that Revil had for them. To distract the enemy's new weapon and to wreak havoc behind enemy lines when they're done with it. Its not the most complex plan, but it didn't need to be. With that thing gone, their victory will be assured.

"Let's just hope it'll come for us and not the Federation forces." Said Amuro.

" **Considering how many ace pilots the White Base has killed and humiliated, along with the news of a new Gundam, more powerful than the last, I would honestly be shocked that they wouldn't send it against us. The Zeons, if anything, are obsessed with killing us."** Amuro couldn't help but nod at that.

"Let's hope your right on that." Said Amuro before going back to waiting in silence, praying that they can help in this battle. Meanwhile, Shiro was touching the pocket watch that belonged to Aina. For some reason, he's been getting this feeling that Aina was close. Very close. It would make some semblance of sense. She was a Zeon soldier, after all. She must have been sent to reinforce Odessa when word of the operation was coming. He just prayed that she wasn't in the main battle zones. He didn't know if his heart could take the idea of her dying out there without him able to return her watch. As if he was sensing his partner's discomfort, Kled asked a question.

" **Are you feeling alright, Shiro?"** Asked Kled. Upon hearing the question, Shiro brought out the pocket watch. Seeing the watch from an internal camera, Kled understood. " **You believe she's here, don't you?"** Shiro nodded at that.

"I just got this feeling, she's here." Said Shiro. "I don't know why. If she's here, then I'm praying that she survives this battle. I know that may sound treasonous, but I'm doing it anyway. She doesn't deserve to die out there. Like so many others." Agreeing with his pilot, Kled told him that he won't inform any one of this. That this will be their secret. Thanking the AI, Shiro went back just focusing on the battle. Even if Aina was on the battlefield, he had a job to do and he wasn't going to let her prevent him from doing it.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Aina**

* * *

"You know what your orders are, Miss Aina?" Asked M'Quve as Aina piloted the Apsalus II to where the Trojan Horse was last seen. Aina just nodded as she focused on piloting the mobile armor. "Good. Your escort will deal with the mobile suits while you take out the ship. Once the Trojan horse is taken out, I want you back here to deal with the Federation's main forces. With the power of the Apsalus, we'll be victorious this day." With that, M'Quve ended the transmission. When she realized he was gone, Aina sighed.

"I hate that man so much." Said Aina, venom in her tone. She had only been in Odessa for a few days and she hated M'Quve so much. He was a pinnacle example of the problem with Zeon's high-ranking officers. The man, while a skilled tactician, was pompous and didn't care about the men under his command at all unless they have something he wants. If it weren't for people like M'Quve, Aina would be proudly serving her nation with no buts attached. But with him and the Zabis, she doubted that her nation's cause is as righteous as the Zabis claim it to be.

They claim to be fighting against the tyrannical rule of the Federation, but at what cost? They gassed an entire colony and used a home of millions as a missile against Earth, killing countless more. Not to mention they completely obliterated an entire side, leaving the survivors without a home with the remaining colonies there just barely operational. With acts like those, Aina, like so many other patriotic soldiers, questions if they're doing the right thing. Though she'll continue fighting for Zeon, she did believe in the cause after all, she was just one more atrocity away from deserting. Family lineage be damned.

Though she knew that her brother, Ginias Sahalin, would be heartbroken at her betrayal, being the only family member left, she also knew that staying in the Zeon military after they committed so many atrocities, would break her as a person. Turning her into something that scared her. So, she made her decision to defect if Zeon commits one more act that many would reasonably condemn. Sighing to herself, she contacted Norris Packard. A father figure that was there for her and her bother when they're parents died.

"Yes, Miss Aina." Asked Packard in his Gouf custom, a brand new Gouf model that improved several problems with the MS-07 B model. He was given it due to his ace pilot status and due to her brother pulling the right strings. "Is something wrong?"

" ***Sighs*** I'm just afraid, Norris." Said Aina truthfully. "We're about to go face the Trojan Horse. The ship that killed Garma Zabi, defeated Char Aznable, killed Ramba Ral and his entire unit, defeated the Midnight Fenrir, and survived overwhelming odds multiple times. And we're about to face them with just ten mobile suits, two squadrons of Dopps, and a single giant ball. The odds aren't exactly on our favor." Norris just nodded. Given the Trojan Horse's track record, it was reasonable for Miss Aina to be afraid. And the fact that they have an improved Gundam of the White Devil, just decreased their odds of survival since the original managed to defeat Char Aznable, arguably the best pilot in the entire Zeon military, single handily. Heck, Norris would be a liar if he denied that he was afraid of facing the White Devil, especially if the AI was operational. Still, Norris was a soldier and he was going to complete his orders, even if they mean his certain death. However, he'll be damned if he'll let Miss Aina from being killed this day. It would both be a stain on his honor and the honor of her father, his friend, if he lived and she didn't. So, when it comes to it, he'll gladly sacrifice himself to save her own. She'll be heartbroken, no denying that, but she'll learn that such things are just unavoidable. Taking a deep breath, he radioed the forward scout, asking if he spotted the Trojan Horse.

"Negative, sir. I got nothing." Said a Zeon scout, a Wappa bike near him. He was using binoculars to find the Trojan Horse and its mobile suits to no avail. Frowning, the man got on his bike. "I'll go ahead more. They may be hiding in the edges of the nearby forest."

"Alright but be careful." Said Norris. With that, he cut the channel. "Alright men, be alert. The enemy may be hiding in the forest near here. Be wary of ambushes." After giving their confirmation, the task force moved ahead, eager to take down the Trojan Horse.

* * *

 **Kai's Guncannon**

* * *

"You're sure?"

"Oh, I'm sure." Said Kai as he looked through his targeting computers. Right now, he got his eyes on a single Zeon Wappa bike coming at them. "Got a forward scout here. No denying it."

"Just got him. Kids right. Single Wappa bike." Said Karen, seeing the same Wappa bike.

"I'll radio it in then. If he gets close enough, take him out without alerting any nearby enemies." As Shiro radioed the situation, everyone was keeping an eye on the Wappa, watching at it got uncomfortably close to their position. When the pilot stopped, the man began to examine his surrounding. After a few minutes, the Zeon pilot frowned and was about to go to his bike when he spotted a glint. Looking to where he saw it, the Zeon soldier went toward the glint, which happened to be Kai's mobile suit. Biting their lips, the Federation pilots cursed when the Zeon soldier noticed the Guncannon's red paint job. Running back to his Wappa, the soldier tried to contact his fellow soldier when a giant fist struck him, turning him into a red stain on the ground. Grimacing to herself, Karen looked at her Gundam's hand, seeing red there. Feeling a bit of bile coming into her throat, Karen steeled herself and radioed in the situation.

"That's not good." Said Bright when he heard Karen's message. "The enemy will come to investigate their missing scout." He then turned to Shiro, who was still contacting him. "Get ready for an enemy search party."

"Roger." Shiro and Karen then disconnected and told everyone to get ready. In just a few minutes, a whole team of enemy mobile suits appeared, all of them Goufs with Dodai YS ships. They were different from the baseline model, however, in that they had lighter blue color and a Gatling gun on their shield. They also had a machinegun attached to the wrist of the arm not holding the shield. The Goufs, however, would be easy to take down, especially since they had the element of surprise. They were about to open fire when they saw something coming. Widening his eyes, Shiro openly gapped at seeing what was coming. It was the enemy's new weapon. Turning on the comms again, Shiro told Bright that the enemy new weapon was here.

"Understood. Take that thing down first. I'll inform the nearest Federation battlegroup immediately." Said Bright before cutting the comms. Licking his lips, Shiro aimed down his beam rifle at the new enemy weapon. It was the exact same Zeon weapon that his team faced back in Asia. Only this time it had a giant cannon, likely a mega particle cannon. Knowing that it's the biggest threat, Shiro informed everyone to take aim at the new weapon. Agreeing, everyone aimed their guns at it. After a few seconds, everyone were ready to fire. Taking a deep breath, Shiro and everyone fired.

* * *

 **A few seconds ago**

* * *

As Norris as leading everyone to where their scout was last located in, he suddenly felt that Aina was in danger. Trusting his gut, he yelled into the comms.

"Miss Aina! Fly up!" Shocked to hear Norris yell, Aina nevertheless did what she was told and flew the Apsalus up. Just in time too as several beam shots flew through the area the Apsalus used to be, destroying it if it didn't move. Gritting his teeth, Norris and his mobile suit team opened fire with everything they had at the direction the shots came from along with the Dodais. After ten seconds of continuous fire, Norris ordered Aina to assist, which she did. Taking aim, Aina fired the Apsalus's mega cannon at the forest. With a slight charge time, the Apsalus gathered the necessary particles and fired a bright beam of energy at the forest, completely obliterating everything that was in the blast radius. As the Zeon forces looked at the carnage, Norris was checking the surroundings, not believing for a second that they took all the feddies with that shot. He was proved right, of course, when a single missile was launched from somewhere near the blast zone. Before anyone could shoot it down, multiple smaller missile ejected out from the larger one and began to make their way to the Zeon forces.

"Shit!" Yelled Norris before he jumped back and tried to either dodge or shoot down all the missiles coming at him. The other pilots tried to do the same, but a few were overwhelmed by the volume of missiles and were killed along with their Dodais. When the barrage ended, five mobile suits were down. Before any could react, a several beam then emerged and hit another two, causing the suits to blow up. The remaining suits then looked to see two Gundam ground types emerging from the edges of the forest and opening fire with their beam rifles. On the other side, a Guncannon appeared and was laying suppressing fire on them. With their opponent now known to them, the Goufs took cover and returned fire. As the mobile suits engaged each other in a shootout, Norris commed Aina.

"Miss Aina, we'll handle these suits. You focus on getting the Trojan Horse. It must be nearby if these Feddie mobile suits are any indication. And if you spot that new Gundam, take it out. I'll assist you in taking it out, if needed." Aina just nodded before the Apsalus began to go out of the combat zone and to somewhere else.

* * *

 **Shiro**

* * *

"Damnit! Amuro, you'll have to take the new weapon out yourself! We'll take care of these guys!" Amuro just nodded before piloting the Full Armor in pursuit of the new weapon. He wasn't going to let that thing get anywhere near the White Base. Though he knew Agar, his team, and Hayato are guarding the White Base, he wasn't going to take any chances. He didn't know the range of that thing's mega particle cannon and he didn't want to find out. Upon seeing the Apsalus, Amuro aimed down the beam rifle and was about to fire when Vega warned of incoming fighters. Acting on instincts, he flew up and dodged a barrage of missiles. Looking behind him, Amuro cursed. About twelve fighters were approaching. Evading another barrage of missiles, he contacted Ryu while Vega dealt with the Dopps.

"Ryu, we got twelve fighters on us! We need you!" Yelled Amuro as he turned the mobile suit to see the Apsalus was going up to get a better view on the battlefield. He was about to pursue when four Dopps intercepted him and fired their remaining missiles at his large backpack. Knowing that they needed it, Vega flew out of the way, abandoning their pursuit. The duo then looked back and fired both beam weapon at the Dopps responsible, taking them all out in a couple of shots. The remaining ones then separated from each other, attacking the Full Armor in eight different directions.

"I can't, Amuro! I got my hands full with a squadron of Dopps!" Said Ryu before grunting as he dodged a barrage of bullets. Using his core booster's superior speed and acceleration, Ryu created some distance between him and the Dopps on his tail. Before they could do anything, he turned back and opened fire, taking out two Dopps. The remaining nine then separated with Ryu pursuing the largest group. "One of the Dopps went to where the White Base was! I tried to pursue, but these guys are keeping me from doing so!" Upon hearing that, Amuro widened his eyes. If that Dopp found the location of the White Base and send it to the enemy weapon. Clenching his controls, Amuro focused his attention on his Dopps, deciding to take them out so that he won't have to worry about anyone shooting him in the back when he dealt with the enemy weapon. After ordering Vega to monitor the Zeon weapon, he fired his weapons at the remaining Dopps, taking out two Dopps who couldn't evade in time.

Three Dopps then proceeded to attack the Gundam from below, hoping to take out its backpack so it couldn't as fly as well as it could. Getting closer, the three were about to fire when the Full Armor looked down and fired three missiles from its left hand. Shocked at its reaction time, the pilots tried to evade but they were too close for them to do anything but get hit by the missiles and exploded. With only three fighters left, Amuro decided to risk it and take on the enemy weapon, thinking they can take them out along the way should any intervene. Seeing the thing on scope, Amuro took aim and was about to fire when the alarms in the cockpit screamed. On instinct, he fired the side thruster and avoided a barrage of bullets. He then noticed alarms coming from the other side. This time Vega did the dodging and retaliated with a beam shot from the beam rifle. The shot destroyed the Gouf that was pursuing them, but it left them vulnerable to the other Gouf that followed. Jumping from its Dodai, the Gouf launched it's heat rod at the Gundam, which was more like a cable than a rod, and actually managed hit the Gundam in the chin. Just as the cable hit, the Gouf pulled back, forcing the Gundam to fall a bit before stabilizing itself, and sent an electric shock to the Gundam's systems. As the shock continued, the Gundam's systems began to shut down. As systems began to shut down, along with Vega, Amuro managed to grab one of the beam sabers and sliced the cable off. As Vega came back online, Amuro spotted the Gouf coming at them, using its thrusters to get close. He tried to shoot and fall back, but the Gouf just fired a big burst from its thrusters and flew over the Gundam. With its back in its sight, the Gouf opened fire, shooting at the backpack with its Gatling gun as it fell to the ground. With the amount of bullets pumped into it, the backpack began to spark. Seeing that it was going to explode, Amuro ejected the backpack and flew out of the way to get away. Just in time too as the backpack soon exploded. Gritting his teeth, Amuro turned to face the enemy mobile weapon and fired at it with the twin beam rifle. The shot grazed the weapon's bottom and flew out of the thing, but didn't do much to it.

"Damn." Said Amuro as the Gundam began to free fall to the ground. Knowing they had to land safely, Amuro began to manipulate the Gundam so that it would land on its feet. Once it landed, Amuro contacted everyone. "Guys, I'm sorry, but I couldn't destroy the enemy mobile weapon. I think it knows where the White Base is. I'm going to try again, but I just lost my backpack. I can't fly up to it. I need assistance." In a few seconds, Bright's voice came on in the comm link.

"Understood. Hang on Amuro. We're getting reinforcements from the Federation." Blinking at that, Amuro was about to respond when Vega informed him of something that made his day.

" **Incoming Saberfishes."** As if on que, a squadron of Federation FF-S3 Saberfish fighters came and flew past them. They soon began to engage the enemy mobile weapon, who struggled to fend off the fighters. Smiling at this, Amuro was about to jump into the fray when Bright spoke up again.

"Amuro! We have a major situation! We just received orders to take out a nuclear missile! It just launched several seconds ago!" Upon hearing that, Amuro eyes widened.

"What!? But nuclear weapons are banned! Why would the Zeons use a banned weapon!?" Asked Amuro, shocked that the Zeons would use a nuclear weapon.

"I know, but they just did." Said Bright grimly. "We're sending you schematics of a Zeon nuclear missile." Within moments, a blueprint of a nuclear weapon showed up in the Gundam's screen. Examining the schematics, Amuro bit his lower lip.

"You sure these plans are accurate?" Asked Amuro. If they were even a little off…

"I'm not sure." Said Bright honestly. "These blueprints were taken before the war, so its at least accurate. Though we're not sure if the Zeons have updated the design or not." He then sighed. "Ryu is coming right now. Get on the core booster and take it out! Everyone else will out the rest of the enemy." With that, Bright ended the transmission. Taking a deep breath, Amuro waited until the core booster was in radar range. Upon seeing the core booster, Vega calculated the approach vector and speed of the core booster before jumping on, landing on the core booster's middle. Silently thanking Vega for getting it right, Amuro grabbed a beam saber and waited as Ryu flew to where the nuclear missile was launched. It only took a few seconds before they saw the bright light of the missile. Clenching his controls, Amuro told Ryu to give it all he got.

"You got it! Give it your all as well!" Yelled Ryu before putting the core booster to the limit by going at its max speed. Temporarily pushed to his seat because of the sudden speed boost, Amuro recovered quickly and got ready to fight.

"Vega, I need you to do this. We're taking no chances." Said Amuro. Vega just silently agreed as the two prepared themselves. If they missed this, then the fallout would be severe. As they neared the missile, they turned on the beam saber and readied themselves. As they approached in the meter range of the missile, Amuro yelled out and slashed out with Vega assisting in course corrections. Slashing between the actual uranium of the missile and the trigger mechanism, the beam saber sliced off the warhead from the rest of the body. Not taking any chances, Amuro and Vega jumped off the core booster and grabbed the warhead as it fell. Activating all their remaining thrusters, the two landed roughly on the ground in their back so as to prevent the warhead from hitting the ground. Holding his head, Amuro looked at the warhead, slightly fearful that it would go off in their hands. As Vega carefully placed it on the ground, the two scanned the warhead, seeing that the warhead wasn't in danger of going off. Taking a deep breath, Amuro took off his helmet, finding that it was suddenly constricting.

" **May I suggest that we never do something like this again?"** Asked Vega. **"Please."** Wiping his forehead, Amuro nodded his head in agreement.

"Agreed." Said Amuro. He didn't want to be the one to disarm a nuke again, especially if they had to use a beam saber to do it. "If we have to, I'm demanding a week off."

" **I think we deserve more than a week."** Stated Vega as they watched the core booster approach. Chuckling weakly at that, Amuro flew the core booster and landed, though he nearly fell off when he did so.

"You crazy bastards!" Yelled Ryu. "Are you trying to get yourselves killed!? You could have died if you pulled of that maneuver."

" **Apologies, but Amuro and I decided, on a whim, that it was better for one man and AI to die over thousands. Even if said man and AI are some of the best in the Federation."** Said Vega, explaining their actions.

"But still!" Argued Ryu. "You shouldn't be throwing yourself in the fire like that! What of the people that you'll leave behind? What will they feel when they hear that you needlessly sacrificed your lives like that? If you damn morons made Chan or Fraw cry, I'm going to kick your asses when I get to the afterlife!" Amuro opened his mouth to argue but sighed.

"Understood. We won't let it happen again." Said Amuro. He wanted to argue, but the thought of making Chan or Fraw cry over his and Vega's death sobered him up.

"Good! Now let's get back to the White Base! We still got an enemy weapon to deal with!" Yelled Ryu as he flew back to the White Base. As they made their way back, Amuro shuddered as he imagined what would happen when Fraw and Chan were told of what he pulled today.

" **Not looking forward to that conversation."** Thought Amuro as he steeled himself as he spotted the enemy mobile armor.

* * *

 **Shiro**

* * *

"This is White Base! We spotted the enemy mobile weapon coming at us! All units pull back and assist! I repeat, the new weapon is coming right for us!" Shiro gritted his teeth as Sayla repeated her message.

" **I calculate that, if we don't take it out in the next three minutes, that thing will open fire and take out the White Base."** Said Kled, somehow mimicking a panicked tone as he spoke to Shiro. Slightly sweating at that, Shiro put his Gundam in overdrive as it rushed toward the enemy mobile weapon, who had taken out most of the fighters with its sole remaining Gouf escort. The rest tried to distract it, but without any missiles, they could do nothing as the weapon made its way to where the White Base was, having fed its location from a sole Dopp before it was destroyed. On the radio, he heard Karen and Kai were on their way, having taken out the rest of the Goufs that they fought initially, but Shiro couldn't hear them much. Too focused on the Zeon weapon.

" **Not going to let it destroy that ship! I'm not!"** Thought Shiro as he remembered all the crew members. The kids and the good people on that ship. This war already took so many good people. He wasn't going to let that thing take out more! As he got closer it, almost in range to jump and actually get on the weapon if he fire his thrusters at the right moment and at full power, he suddenly received a radio transmission from Amuro.

"Shiro! We're on our way! Just thirty seconds out!" Feeling slightly hopeful, Shiro nevertheless continued on. Reaching a giant boulder, Shiro used it as a jumping point to jump up into the air before using his thrusters to fly the rest of the way. Yelling out as a way to cope, Shiro was about to fire when he suddenly hesitated. Surprised Shiro couldn't do anything as the Gundam crashed onto the weapon's frame. It would have slid off if Kled hadn't grabbed one of the weapon's stabilizing fins, though he had to drop the beam rifle in order to do so. Shocked that his pilot didn't take the shot, Kled immediately spoke to him.

" **What happened, Shiro? Why didn't you take the shot?"** Asked Kled as he began to bring out one of their beam sabers. He was about to activate the saber when Shiro spoke up.

"Take me to the cannon, Kled." Surprised, Kled inquired why. "Trust me. I just…I just have this feeling that Aina…" Surprised for the third time, Kled spoke.

" **What do you mean, Shiro? That miss Aina is…is piloting that thing?"** Gulping, Shiro just told him to trust him, pleading even. Despite logic dictating him to ignore his pilot and take out the weapon as well as to report this, the, dare he say it, living part was telling him to trust Shiro. That he needed to do this, not just for his pilot, but for his sake as well. In the course of a second, the two parts of Kled have fought each other ten million times, each fiercer than the last. Ultimately, however, Kled followed his pilot's orders and flew the Gundam up to the weapon's head, which was a normal Zaku head. Before the thruster gave out, Kled managed to grab the head and held on tightly, placing the cockpit of the Gundam to where the Zaku's main camera should be. Seeing the Gundam, the weapon began to prime up its mega particle cannon. As it was charging up, Shiro, to the profound disbelief of Kled, yelled out with the Gundam's on board speakers.

"Aina! Its me, Shiro Amada!" Yelled Shiro. As his processors was trying to determine this behavior, Kled detected the last Gouf coming right at them. Turning around, Kled could barely do anything but move the Gundam's body, so as to prevent the cockpit from being hit, as the Gouf's heat saber began to land slice at the Gundam ground type's right shoulder and through its chest, just barely missing the cockpit. As it flew past them with its Dodai, it began to make its way back. As Kled was about to fight, he detected the mega cannon hadn't stop charging and was about to fire. With no choice, Kled let go and fell to the ground. Just as their Gundam's head was falling, however, the mega cannon fired, taking it out and melting a bit of the upper torso as the right arm. To make matters worse, the blast knocked out all systems. With no power, Shiro couldn't do anything but crash land on the ground hard. Hitting his head on the screens and the back of his head from the crash, Shiro held his head as blood began to seep out from his head. As he reached for the emergency med kit in the cockpit, Shiro spoke out.

"Kled, can you bring the systems back online?" Asked Shiro as he began to treat his wound. No answer. "Kled? I need you to bring the systems back online." Still no answer. Now getting worried for his friend, Shiro checked everything to see if any systems were online. Upon finding that everything was offline, Shiro began to start to panic. With no power to any systems, there was a possibility that Kled was…

"No!" Yelled Shiro as he began to work hard to get some systems back on. "I'm not letting you die on me! I'm not letting anyone from my team die, machine or not." As he began to work hard to restore power, the sneaking suspicion he had about Aina was growing. If she was indeed the pilot, she had just possible murdered Kled, his partner.

" **Please Kled."** Thought Shiro as he worked. **"Don't die on me."** If Kled died and Aina was responsible…he didn't know what he would do.

* * *

 **Aina**

* * *

"That's the last of them. Thanks for helping me out Norris." Said Aina as the last of the fighters began to pull back. If Norris hadn't gotten in time, she had no doubt that the enemies Gundam would have taken her out.

"Of course, Miss Aina. I'm just glad you're alright. Now let's finish this. You have the coordinates." Aina just nodded as she piloted the course for the Trojan Horse. The location given to them by a brave pilot.

"Just a minute and I'll be able to take a shot." Said Aina as she piloted the Apsalus to its next target. Upon seeing the Apsalus moving toward the White Base's general direction, the Federation fighters tried to stop it, but without any missiles, having spent all of them earlier, they couldn't do much but annoy the Zeon pilots. As Aina was nearing the target zone, she suddenly felt something was off. She couldn't figure out why, but she had a suspicion that Shiro was nearby. Thinking about the Federation boy, she wondered how he was nowadays. She honestly hoped that he wasn't in the chaotic battle out there. The chances of him dying were…high. Steeling her nerves, she just focused on her task. Seeing the White Base in her targeting computers, Aina was about to charge up the mega particle cannon when the alarms in her cockpit went off. Shocked, she looked to see a Gundam mobile suit coming at her, beam rifle aimed at the Apsalus. Shocked to do anything, she watched as the beam rifle charged up. Thinking this was it, she closed her eyes and waited for death's embrace. But it never happened. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and was shocked to see that the Gundam didn't fire. Her shocked didn't end there, however, instead of firing she saw that it was holding on to one of the Apsalus's stabilizing fins. Gritting her teeth, knowing that she couldn't do much against it, she asked Norris to help out.

"Understood. On my way." Said Norris after chasing the last of the fighters away. With Norris coming, she took it upon herself to watch as the Gundam made it way to the front of the Apsalus until it was on top of her, its lower torso dangling in front of the mega particle cannon. Finding the pilot foolish, Aina began to charge up the mega particle cannon. As the mega particle cannon was charging, she noticed the Gundam bringing out its saber and was about to turn it one when she heard a voice.

"Aina! Its me, Shiro Amada!" Yelled Shiro through his Gundam's speakers. Upon hearing Shiro's voice, Aina widened her eyes in shock.

" **He's here!?"** Though Aina in shock. **"He's actually here."** As she was processing this information, she noticed Norris coming in, heat saber at the ready. Before she could yell at him to stop, she saw the heat saber damaging the Gundam ground type. Crying out in shock, she then noticed the mega particle cannon was about to fire. Shiro must have noticed too, as the Gundam let go of the Apsalus to get out of the way. Unfortunately, he didn't do so in time as the mega cannon still managed to clip his head and melted it along with the upper torso and the right arm. She then watched in horror as the Gundam fell to the ground with a thud.

"Shiro!" Yelled Aina, horrified at what she had done. She was so caught up in her grief that she failed to notice the beam rifle shot before it hit the Apsalus. As the Apsalus fell to the ground, she thought of Shiro and wondered if he was alright.

* * *

 **Amuro**

* * *

"Shiro!" Yelled Amuro as he and Ryu saw the Gundam ground type fell to the ground. Gritting his teeth and controls, Amuro looked at the Apsalus in rage and told Ryu to get closer. Aiming the beam rifle, Amuro fired the beam rifle, hitting it on the bottom. He must have hit something important, as the enemy weapon began to fall to the ground. Not willing to let it go, Amuro was about to fire when Vega yelled out, saying the last Gouf was coming. Seeing the Gouf was coming from the right flank, Amuro readied himself and fired at the Gouf's Dodai. The shot hit and the Gouf was forced to jump lest it get caught in the explosion. As it free-fell towards the Full Armor Gundam, the Gouf fired everything it got, the Gatling gun and the machine gun on its wrist. Ignoring the shots, the Full Armor fired at the Gouf, who activated his thrusters at the last second to barely dodge the shot. Seeing it was getting to close for comfort, Amuro jumped off and tackled the Gouf, who was surprised at such a tactic. Seeing melee was the only option, both combatants reached for their close combat weapons. Grabbing his sword first, the Gouf tried to stab the Full Armor but it just kicked away from the Gouf and fired its beam saber. The shot hit the arm holding the heat sword, sending it flying away. With it now unarmed, the Gundam fired again, this time taking out its legs. No more time left, Amuro landed the Gundam safely to the ground and watched as the Gouf fell to the ground hard. With it now incapacitated and unlikely to do anything, Amuro rushed to where Shiro's Gundam crashed. Upon finding the trashed Gundam, Amuro gasped in shock.

The Gundam lost its head and right arm. Its upper torso was partially melted, nearly to the area where the cockpit was. Rushing to the fallen Gundam, the Full Armor ran a full scan.

"Come on. Come on." Said Amuro impatiently as the scans were nearly complete.

" **Scan is finished, Amuro. We're in luck. I'm detecting life signs in the cockpit."** Said Vega. Upon hearing that, Amuro let out a sigh of relief. " **However, I'm barely detecting anything source of power coming from the Gundam ground type. There's so little power that I'm not sure that Kled made it. That is unless he shut down in time before the Gundam's systems crashed or transferred to a secondary system that isn't tailored to the Gundam."** Upon hearing that, Amuro began to worry about Kled. If Shiro was as attached to his AI as Amuro was to Vega, he didn't know how the guy would react. Setting that aside, Amuro told Vega to crack open the cockpit careful, knowing they needed precision to do this right without injuring Shiro. Upon hearing that, Vega then had the Full Armor gently grab the cockpit of the Gundam ground type. With a slight tug, he ripped the cockpit open, shocking its occupant. Seeing that Shiro is alright, Amuro opened his cockpit and looked out.

"Shiro! Are you alright!?' Yelled Amuro as he looked to see Shiro getting out of his cockpit.

"I'm alright." Said Shiro with a wave. "But I need you guys to help! Kled may be in danger!" Nodding his head, Amuro told Shiro to get out of the Gundam. Once he did, the Full Armor grabbed the wrecked Gundam ground type and began to drag it to the White Base, but not before picking up Shiro, who got into the cockpit. As the Full Armor went to the White Base, Amuro informed the situation to Bright, who then proceeded to inform the rest of the Federation about the disabled weapon and to order their pilots to recover the wreckages of the enemy weapons and to rescue survivors.

* * *

 **Aina**

* * *

"Damnit." Cursed Aina as she tried to open the cockpit of the Apsalus. The crash landing must have jammed the cockpit doors as she couldn't open up the cockpit to escape. Sighing to herself after she tried to open the doors a fifth time, she resigned to her fate as a POW. She had no doubt that the Federation won. From what she heard over the comms, it was pretty bad. Even though Norris was a skilled pilot, even he couldn't beat so many mobile suits at once. Taking a deep breath, she wondered how she would be treated. Probably awful as she doubted the Federation was nice to its POWs, especially the Trojan Horse crew. After facing so many attacks from Zeon, she had no doubt that they had a hatred for Zeon soldiers. Preparing herself for the worst, she thought of Shiro. The Federation boy that, somehow, stole her heart.

Much to her surprise, she actually developed a bit of a crush on Shiro Amada. Perhaps it was it good looks or the fact that, despite the fact he was a Federation soldier, he was willing to work with her on a mutual goal. Perhaps it was also the fact that, he showed something beyond the stereotypical Federation grunt. He showed her that the Federation did have good people in its ranks. They were just hidden with mounds of corrupt officers and officials. And if she hurt him, no killed him, she wouldn't forgive herself. As she prayed for Shiro's safety, she saw the metal of the cockpit doors glowing red. Biting her lips as it glowed brighter, she watched as the metal gave away and two metal fingers began to rip the doors open, revealing a Guncannon and a Gundam ground type. Seeing the Federation mobile suits, Aina jumped out of the cockpit and raised her hands in surrender. Seeing this, the Guncannon brought down its left hand and motioned for her to get on with its right. Sighing, she got on and watched as the Guncannon escorted her to somewhere, likely the Trojan Horse. Laying on the hand, she hoped that the treatment she'll receive isn't too bad.

* * *

 **Later**

 **White Base hanger bay 2**

* * *

"Is he going to be alright, Chan?" Asked Shiro worriedly as he watched the engineers working on his wrecked Gundam. Chan just looked at a console and smiled.

"He'll be fine. Looks like Kled managed to transfer himself to a portable disc on the Gundam in time. You shouldn't happen to know where that is, right?" Remembering the disc that he received back at the officer's academy, Shiro brightened up and ran to his Gundam. Getting in the cockpit, despite the protests of the engineers, he rummaged through the Gundam's systems until he found the disc. Getting out and going to Chan, he installed the disc on the console she was using. As he impatiently waited, he prayed that Kled made it out one hundred percent. After a few seconds, he heard a voice.

" **Shiro? Where are you?"** Typed Kled as he tried to find his partner, unaware he couldn't see. Overjoyed, Shiro hugged the console.

"Oh Kled, you're back!" Yelled Shiro as he let go. "I'm so sorry for what happened back there. If you died over my mistakes, I wouldn't have forgiven myself. I'm sorry. Forgive me." Surprised, Kled spoke up after recovering.

" **It's alright, Shiro. I would have done the same thing as you. I do terribly miss, miss Aina."** Typed Kled. Smiling a bit, Shiro was about to respond when Kai's Guncannon appeared.

"Hey! Got the pilot of that massive weapon. She says she knows you Shiro!" Yelled Kai through the speakers before lowering his outstretched hand. Upon seeing the women, Shiro widened his eyes in shock. There was no denying it, the light hair and those beautiful eyes. The pilot of that weapon, the one that nearly killed Kled and him, was Aina. Staring at her in shock, Aina was also starring at Shiro in shock. Looking between the two, Chan coughed a bit to get their attention.

"Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she really needs to be sent to the brig. She's a POW, after all." As if on que, two soldiers came up and began to walk up to Aina. They were about to grab her arms when Shiro spoke up.

"Wait! I'll do it alone. I got nothing better to do anyway." Said Shiro before grabbing Aina and leading her to the brig, shocking everyone. Blinking a bit, Chan watched the two in wonder.

"What the heck is that about?" Asked Chan as she looked at Kled, who simply displayed a question mark.

" **I presume that this is the infamous love that is making Shiro do this I?"** Typed Kled in confusion. Chan widened her eyes when Kled said that. She was about to inquire about it when the Full Armor came back. Narrowing her eyes, Chan marched up as Amuro got out and jumped out of the Full Armor, landing safely as Vega crouched down so he can jump down.

"You two are in so much trouble." Said Chan as she placed a hand on her hip. Wincing a bit at her tone, Amuro looked at Vega, who simply had the Full Armor shrug. Grabbing Amuro's hand, she dragged him out to give him an earful. Feeling sorry for his partner, Vega looked to see the remaining mobile suits get inside, either carrying captured prisoners or have finished dragging what enemy wrecks they could carry. With all their crew on board, the White Base and the sole Medea took and flew to the Odessa city, where Revil was waiting to congratulate them.

* * *

 **A day later**

 **Granada**

* * *

"Kycilia, I hope you have a good explanation for this!" Demanded Dozle as he yelled at his sister from the asteroid base, Solomon. Kycilia resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she endured her brother's temper, having prepared for it ahead of time. "Not only did your man lose Odessa, but he also hurt our own reputation! There's riots in Side 3 right now! Gihren has his hands full suppressing and appeasing the crowds. Not only that, but I've just received word that Side 6 is considering to rejoin the Federation after that debacle with a nuke! And so are Side 4 and 2! You better have that M'Quve be sent to father for a court martial! Because if you don't, then I'll personally come there and bring him to father in chains!" Sighing to herself, Kycilia drank a cup of wine before speaking.

"As much as I would like to do so, I'm afraid I can't. You see, just a few hours ago, M'Quve committed suicide." Surprised to hear that, Dozle looked at Kycilia in shocked.

"What do you mean?" Demanded Dozle. Kycilia just smirked before responding.

"I mean what I mean, Dozle. After hearing all the consequences of his actions, M'Quve committed suicide by drinking some poison wine. Looks like he couldn't deal with the thought that he made the war more difficult for us." Upon hearing that, Dozle sighed as he pinched his nose.

"That's…unfortunate. We needed him alive and in our custody. If we brought him before the public and denouncing him, it would have salvaged our citizen's opinion on the Zabi family. This is a disaster." With another sigh. "I'm sorry for lashing out Kycilia. Its just that…we're suppose to be fighting for our independence and exposing the corruption in the Federation, but how can we win if we resort to breaking treaty rules and launching nuclear missiles? That nuclear missile launch just turned us into war criminals and made us look like insane idiots that don't care about independence. We just want death." Dozle then scratched his head. "I'll be informing father and Gihren about this. I'm sorry for lashing out again." With that, Dozle cut the transmission. Happy that he was gone, Kycilia turned at M'Quve, still alive and well.

"He's off your back now, M'Quve." Said Kycilia. "Unfortunately, you'll have to be hidden from all, but your most trusted soldiers."

"That's quite alright." Said M'Quve. "I think this new position suits me better." Kycilia nodded. This could benefit her greatly. A competent officer working in the shadows, doing her dirty work without exposing any connections to her.

"Good. Because you have to be if you want to earn my favor again, M'Quve." She then narrowed her eyes. "Though Dozle is an idiot, he was a point. You're reckless actions on Odessa have made this war far more difficult for us. If it weren't for your battlefield tactics and skills, I would have sent you to Dozle in chains." Fearing for his life, M'Quve allowed a small drop of sweat to fall down his forehead and down to his chin. Bowing his head, M'Quve spoke.

"I understand completely. I will do everything in my power to do your orders as perfectly as possible." Kycilia nodded.

"Good. How about the resources you procured? How many years will they provide us?" M'Quve just smiled.

"The ones that the others know will keep Zeon going for another ten years. Your secret ones will keep us going for twenty-five." Smiling at that, Kycilia then looked at a map of the solar system.

"Good, move a quarter of those resources to Axis. It'll be a good hidden base for me should things go south for Zeon." Nodding his head, M'Quve reassured her that he'll do this to the best of his ability before leaving. "Now, to focus on the Federation." Tapping her face, she knew that the only way to hurt them was to attack their largest shipyard, Jaburo Base. From what she had gotten, Jaburo had the proper facilities to build Salamis and Magellan capital ships and has the necessary equipment to launch them all into space. With Odessa secured, they could produce enough warships to keep them going for a long time. If they wanted to win this war, they needed to take out Jaburo. Fortunately, she already had a man.

" **Char. You better drop your obsession with the Trojan Horse. We have bigger fish to fry."** Thought Kycilia as he thought of the Red Comet, now enhanced from their experiments.

* * *

 **I'm honestly not sure how a nuclear missile works, so I apologize if the way I handled the nuke is wrong and would end up causing it to blow up instead and kill a whole lot of people.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

 **This review answer will be talking about some things that I completely missed the last time I uploaded.**

 **RedRat8- Yup, that was one of the ideas I had with AIs. And yeah, I know the GMs get a bad rap along with the Leo as just terrible units because of how they're portrayed in the shows, which is a shame cause I rather like the GM and it various upgrades, aside from a few.**

 **Yeah, I honestly agreed. If you ask me, GM sniper II was probably the best mass-produced GM in the One Year War. And, like most of its predecessor, gets the short-end of the stick in the shows. Case in point, War in the pocket. Anyway, the suits will be given when the final battle comes.**

 **R reyes- Yes, we'll go right up to the Unicorn series. Yeah. I have honestly no idea why he's so fascinated with that vase. I know its valuable, but that guy seems to care more about that vase than the war.**

 **And no, they won't help. Even if they wanted to, there is no way the Federation will allow former Zeon soldiers to join their ranks in battle. Remember, people like Hepner, Norris, and Aina still killed a lot of Federation soldiers. Case in point, Aina helped killed Terry's wingmates in the beginning of the 08th MS team show. And I'm certain Norris killed a bunch of Federation troops given his experience as well as Hepner. Would you want a turned coat that killed fellow soldiers fighting by your side? I would rather not. If anything, they'll just give them intel on Zeon operations and bases in exchange for fair treatment or a lighter sentence or something like that.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- Yeah, but I thought it would make sense for the Odessa battle to occur first.**

 **Yeah, I was honestly surprised he seemingly got away with using a nuclear missile and no outrage was done over it. I mean, I'm sure Kycilia and Gihren don't care so long as he wins, but I'm sure the normal citizen and soldier would really not like the idea that their nation was the first to break a treaty signed by both factions in a war.**

 **Well, initially they won't be installed on warships, but hey. Humans are always thinking of ways to fight each other. I'm sure some admiral will decide on installing an AI on a warship is a good idea to do.**

 **Well technically yes. I mean, I'm not sure if this was ever explored in cannon, but I think that doing the experiments that create Cyber-Newtypes on an actual Newtype may enhance their powers.**

 **Not really, M'Quve may be a cold-hearted bastard, but he seems extremely loyal to Kycilia. I honestly don't know why, but he apparently does, to the point it got him killed when he tried to go against the Gundam alone. Granted with a few tricks up his sleeves, but still.**

 **As for the United Maintenance plan, it'll still go ahead as I'm sure most of the Zeon high command would realize they need to streamline their mobile suits or else war production will go down. However, as M'Quve was a main proponent to that, it'll take more time to be implemented as well as the more experimental units, like the Dom Funf, may not even be created until its too late.**

 **And yes I've heard of the Armored GM. I honestly didn't know I encountered them in the Zeonic Front game. I mistakenly thought of them as just as regular GMs. Anyway, the units may make an appearance in the retake of California Base.**

 **Guest- Yes, they will. You'll learn about it in this chapter. Well, to be fair, he did start out as a kid with a fancy mobile suit. But yeah, he's more than earned his reputation as the White Devil.**

 **As for the war materials, well I figured some of those 10 years worth of minerals from Odessa had to go somewhere. Aside from Granada, Solomon, and A Baoa Qu, Axis seems the most likely to have natural resource be sent to it. Also it would help explain, where Haman's Neo-Zeons got the materials to make all their ships and mobile suits. Then again, it was an asteroid initially for mining.**

* * *

 **White Base**

* * *

"Can it be fixed?" Asked Shiro as he watched Amuro and Al work on his wrecked Gundam ground type. Scratching his head, Amuro looked at Shiro.

"I doubt it. That mega particle cannon fused some of the internal wiring together and fried the rest. I think we can salvage the lower end, but you can forget the top." Al nodded his head, sharing the same thought as Amuro. Shiro sighed at this before grabbing his hair.

"Alright, just do what you can." Said Shiro. "I'll go check on the prisoners." With that Shiro left the two alone. As he watched Shiro leave, Amuro looked at Al.

"Why is he going to the prisoners? He doesn't know any of them." Al, upon hearing that, looked around before whispering.

"Same. If you ask me, he's got the hots on the woman pilot we just captured." Widening his eyes in surprise, Amuro asked if Al was sure about that. "Positive. When two soldiers were about to take her away, he informed everyone that he'll do it and he lead her away from the hanger with the woman not even protesting at all. In fact, I looked at her eyes, she was happy that it was Shiro taking her away. I don't know how, but I think those two know each other." Amuro just nodded at that. It was possible that they did. He didn't know much of Shiro's combat record so it was entirely possible that the two meet up and had to work together to get out of somewhere safely. Heck, it was also possible they were friends prior to the war and were happy to see each other, though on opposite sides.

"If he does have feelings for her, I feel sorry for him. She's on the opposite side." Al just nodded. Romantic partners on opposing sides in a war rarely every end good. With a sigh, Al began to work on the wrecked Gundam ground type.

"Anyway, you think that we can get anything from the mid torso?" Amuro shrugged as he examined the internal systems.

"I doubt it. Look." Amuro then held out a cable, all melted. "Got this from the mid torso. I doubt we'll find anything salvageable from there."

"Maybe, but its still worth a look." The two then went to work. Just a few minutes in, however, Chan walked up to them and talked to Al.

"Al, I'll be getting off the ship for a few hours. I'm going to visit my mother." Said Chan. "Isaac and Bright know before you ask."

"Okay but be careful. Heard that Zeon soldiers are still in the city." Nodding her head, Chan then looked at Amuro with a teasing smile.

"Don't worry. I won't say anything embarrassing about you to my mother. Particularly about what happened sometime ago." Said Chan before winking. Blushing a bit, Amuro just whistled to himself as Chan left. Once she was gone, Al looked at Amuro.

"When did you two get that friendly with each other." Amuro just chuckled a bit before explaining.

* * *

 **Flashback**

* * *

" _ **How could you do something so reckless?" Demanded Chan as she chewed Amuro for his reckless actions. Amuro tried to defend himself but Chan wasn't going to let him yet. "Don't you realize that everyone will miss you if you and Vega died out there? Handling a nuke that, for all intents and purposes, already taken care of? Why did you decide to risk your life like that, Amuro?" Seeing that she was done, Amuro began to defend himself.**_

" _ **Because I felt that it would be better off if just one pilot and AI be sacrificed over thousands, maybe tens of thousand of lives. I'm not anything special. I'm just one guy." Sighing to herself, Chan spoke to Amuro.**_

" _ **You're not just one guy. You're one of the most important crew members in the White Base, one of the most important ships in the Federation forces. You're the sole pilot that beat the Red Comet and Blue Giant, two aces that so many Federation soldiers have died by their hands. No one else has managed to beat those two in the records. So, you're pretty important. Even removing your combat record, you're still a crewmember of the White Base and the crew would be devastated over your death. Bright would blame himself for sending you and Vega alone with just Ryu as backup. Same with Kai and Hayato. Fraw would be crying over your death and I would be devastated to know that one of my friends died over something as simple as overhandling a nuke." Amuro sighed at that. Though touched with her words, he still felt like his way was the right way.**_

" _ **There isn't such a thing as overhandling a nuke, Chan. Just one mistake and that thing would have gone off, killing everyone in its blast radius and the radiation zone. I couldn't risk that warhead going off when it crashed into the ground. I had to make sure it didn't go off. I'm sorry, but I believe that I did the right thing. And so, does Vega." Shaking her head, Chan replied back.**_

" _ **If that is what you believe, then so be it." Said Chan before adopting a pleading look. "Just don't do something as reckless like that again. You're more important to this ship than you think." Seeing the pleading look, Amuro nodded his head.**_

" _ **Alright, I promise. No more reckless actions." Said Amuro before hugging Chan. Flustered, Chan returned the hug back after a few seconds. Finding the hug soothing, the two stayed like that for a few seconds before they pulled back. Chuckling in embarrassment, Amuro blushed lightly before explaining himself. "Sorry, I'm just happy that you care so much about me. Didn't know what came over me." Giggling a bit, Chan waved her hand.**_

" _ **Its no problem. To be honest, it was…nice. Just keep your promise, okay?" Once he nodded his head, the two left for the hanger.**_

* * *

 **Present**

* * *

"Well, I'll be damned!" Said Al, surprised. "You managed to get with 2nd base with Chan that quick?" Upon hearing that Amuro, spluttered while blushing.

"That's not it! I just…I didn't know what came over me, okay! Besides, it was just a friendly hug. Between friends. That's it." Al just chuckled to himself.

"Of course, it was." Said Al with a smirk before going back to work. As Amuro just sighed, embarrassed at this, before going back to work. Meanwhile, Vega was looking at this display with Haro, having been finished being repaired by Isaac. The two were watching this with curiosity.

" **What do you think, Haro?'** Asked Vega. " **Do you believe that Amuro has feelings for Chan?"** Haro just hopped in his ball form.

" **One hundred percent! One hundred percent!"** Haro said, excited and somewhat amused. Looking back and remembering the feel touching moments the two had, Vega had to agree.

" **I honestly should have seen it. Humans can form the most interesting of relationships in war."** The two then went back to whatever conversation they had before they noticed Amuro yelling at Al.

* * *

 **Brig**

* * *

"You're here, Kai?" Asked Shiro in surprise upon seeing the Guncannon pilot delivering food to prisoners again. He knew that Kai was assigned to do it every now and then, but lately it seemed he was doing more often than everyone else.

"Yeah, well," Said Kai with a shrug. "This will be the least meal those guys get here before they're shipped off to whatever Federation base that takes care of POWs. So, might as well, be the one to deliver food to them." He then looked at Shiro with curiosity. "What about you? What are you doing here? Thinking of that Zeon pilot we captured? The woman?" Shiro just sighed before nodding. "I thought as much. She claimed to have meet you sometime ago. That true?" Shiro just nodded, seeing no reason to not tell Kai. He seems trustworthy.

"We meet while I was on my way to Earth. I just graduated from the officer academy and was being sent to Earth to lead the 08th MS team in Asia. On my way, the transport I was received a distress beacon from a GM team. We only had a ball so I took it and went to help out the GMs. Long story short, I meet Aina that day and we had to work together to get save ourselves." Kai just nodded at the information. He then smirked.

"I assume you developed feelings for her during your little truce?" Asked Kai. Upon seeing Shiro blushing and trying to deny it, Kai adopted a smug look. "Figures. Woman's quite a looker. You can't deny that. That and the fact you said her name and the fact you escorted her to the brig when you didn't need to, kind of exposed it." Kai then held his hand. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Well anyone not trustworthy or can't keep their mouth shut." Upon hearing that and after recovering, Shiro smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Kai. If the Federation learned about my little crush, my career is over." Upon hearing that, Kai frowned.

"You serious? All over having feelings for a girl?" Asked Kai. Shiro just nodded.

"Yup, I don't agree with it, but those are the rules." Said Shiro. "Anyway, you didn't deliver food to Aina, right?" Kai just shook his head. 'Good, I'll go with you." With that, the two lads went to the final room filled with prisoners. Upon entering the code, the two entered with plates of food. Inside, they say Aina and Hepner on their beds, looking at the ceiling. Due to her being the only other woman prisoner, Aina was placed in with Hepner, who didn't object at all. It did get boring in the cell. Upon seeing Aina, Shiro smiled.

"You alright?" Asked Shiro before placing the food near Aina, who smiled back.

"Fine." Said Aina before sneaking a glance at Hepner, her cellmate, smiling as Kai placed her food next to her. "He's been quite nice from what the few encounters I had of him. And Hepner has vouched for him." Upon seeing Shiro's confused look, she clarified. "My cellmate. She's a pilot of the Midnight Fenrir, if you believe it." Shiro just opened his mouth in surprise, never thinking that such a young girl was a member of the legendary Midnight Fenrir, much less a pilot. Then again, he thought the same when he first encountered Aina. Taking a deep breath, Shiro sat down on next to Aina, something that caught her interest. "Not worried that you'll get in trouble for talking with me? I'm an enemy soldier, after all." Shiro just shook his head.

"Nah, Bright linear when it comes to this. Though the man will chew you out if you cross a line." Shiro said, recalling a time when Bright chewed out Agar for complaining about their tactics. That man can yell and slap that's for certain. He was almost like a drill sergeant in that regard, despite his age.

"Must be quite young if he's letting that happen." Said Aina, shocked to hear that the Trojan Horse's captain was that linear. In fact, she was shocked on what she saw of the crew of the Trojan Horse. Barely any of the crew was over their twenties. Most were teenagers or in their twenties. This both shocked and saddened her. Were the Federation really that desperate for manpower that they let teenagers' man an experimental warship and mobile suits? Shiro just sighed.

"Well, not like they had a choice." Said Shiro, remembering the file he received from Revil about the White Base. What he got angered and saddened him. "Zeon bastards destroyed their home in Side 7, killing most of the people there. The survivors were forced to go to the White Base to survive and leave their home. And because this ship is a top-secret weapon, the Federation forced them into service under the threat of arrest." Upon hearing all that, Aina widened her eyes in shock. She couldn't believe that actually happened. She knew that Side 7's only colony was abandoned, but she didn't think that it was because of a Zeon attack and over the Trojan Horse. Sighing to herself, she looked over to Kai, who was speaking with Hepner over something.

"And yet they don't seem to want vengeance." Said Aina, seeing Kai's relaxed stance when speaking with Hepner. "They're either hiding it really well or this war desensitized them."

"I don't think its either the case, Aina." Said Shiro with a frown. "They still feel the pain, I can see it in their eyes. I know that a lot of them hate the Zeons for what they did to their home, but I also know that they know that vengeance won't solve anything. They're focusing on surviving for the sake of their loved ones. They may hate the Zeons, but they won't stoop to their level and kill indiscriminately. I know the feeling." Aina just smiled a bit at that.

"Don't we all want to just survive this awful war?" Asked Aina, causing Shiro to nod in agreement. After a moment, Aina remembered what Shiro said. "What do you mean that you understand their pain?" Shiro just sighed, knowing that he had to have this conversation with Aina eventually.

"Aina, I hate the Zeons. What they're willing to do and how many people they've killed. If they're freedom fighters, fighting for Spacenoid independence, then why are so many Spacenoids killed to get that?" Asked Shiro. Aina just looked at him with saddened eyes. She herself wondered that as well. "You want to know why I hate them? ***Sighs*** They used G3 gas on my home colony, killing everyone I ever knew and loved. I only survived because I was wearing a sealed suit at the time, but everyone I knew." He then closed his eyes. "They're all dead. A man even died right in front of me. His blood smearing my helmet's visor." He then looked at Aina with tears coming down his face. "Would freedom fighters do acts like that? Will they murder an entire colony, just to use it as a weapon against the Federation?" Aina just looked to the ground, knowing that Shiro was asking the right questions. She knew of so many young and patriotic soldiers in the Zeon military that questioned the Zabis and the high command after news of the fact that they used a colony as a projectile on Earth. Some tried to justify it, saying that they were loyalists to the Federation and that it was only to lessen the bloodshed that will spill from the war. Others, however, questioned if it was moral for them to kill an entire colony's population and then used their home as a weapon against the Federation, even if for a seemingly noble cause. No matter what people thought of it, most stayed loyal to their nation, if only because treason is something many are disgusted with, even for the most logical and sensible of reasons. Sighing to herself, Aina looked at Shiro.

"No, they won't." Said Aina honestly. "As I told you before when we first meet, if it weren't for the Zabis and their tactics, I wouldn't have a problem with Zeon going against the Federation. I know your loyal to the Federation Shiro, but you have to admit that the way the Federation is governing the people out in space is a bit unfair. How many politicians do you know that are in seats in the Federation's council while also being Spacenoids?" Shiro just opened his mouth to answer before closing his mouth, realizing that all politicians in the council were from Earth. With no way to argue, he motioned her to continue, which she did. "How many bills or laws were passed that went against any sort of mistreatment on Spacenoids? How many were passed that allowed us to sit on the council or have a say on what Earthlings can do? I know our past actions are criminal Shiro, and I would defect the moment the Zabis decided to drop another colony, but you have to admit, if the Federation have brought this on themselves." Shiro just stayed silent as he looked at Hepner and Kai, who were silently overhearing their conversation. The looks on their faces said they agreed with Aina said, that the Federation, kind of, brought this on themselves. Wanting their opinion, Shiro asked what they thought.

"Well," Started Hepner. "If the Federation had simply made some laws in support of Spacenoids, the war probably wouldn't have even started." Shiro then looked at Kai, who simply shrugged.

"Don't got a problem with the Federation except the ones calling the shots. Ask me, the solar system can do without more of those greedy, politicians." Shiro just nodded in understanding. Feeling a hand, he looked to see Aina giving him a small smile.

"I'm not trying to justify Zeon's cause, Shiro. I'm just trying to say that there's always two sides on a faction. Both the good and bad." Shiro just stayed silent as he processed all this. Knowing he needed time to process all this, he looked an Aina and excused himself.

"I need some time to think on this, Aina. I'll give you my answer before you're forced to leave." Aina just sadly nodded, knowing that she'll be taken to some Federation prison soon. "But thanks, you've given something to think on." Smiling a bit at that, she told him to take as much as he wanted as he didn't have to give her an answer. With that Shiro left the room. Once he left, Kai got up.

"Well, I'm done here." Said Kai, dusting himself off. "Here's hoping that you'll get a somewhat decent prison cell, Hep. Wouldn't want that cute face of yours to get marred or something." Hepner blushed at that, causing Kai to smirk. As he was making his way out, his head was hit in the back with a pillow. That caused Kai to laugh out loud before leaving and closing the door.

"My." Commented Aina as she looked at Hepner, who threw the pillow. "You and him have…quite the relationship." Upon hearing that, Hepner blushed beet red and turned to Aina.

"Its nothing like that!" Yelled Hepner. "He's just nicer to me than everyone else on this ship! We're not…" Aina then held up her hands, struggling to contain her laughter.

"That's not what I meant. I meant you two are getting along quite well. I didn't mean you guys are in a relationship. Why would I ever assume that?" Hepner, seeing her mistake, blushed even harder, if that was possible, and turned around. Shaking her head, she looked at the door and thought of Shiro.

" **Though I suppose I'm not one to judge. After all, he took my heart."** Thought Aina as she thought of the black-haired, naïve man.

* * *

 **Revil's Big Tray**

* * *

"The first shipment of materials is already being shipped out to Jaburo and other Federation facilities, general." Said Matilda as she read from a clipboard. "The Zeons had, thankfully, had some resources mined and in containers. They mustn't have had time to ship them off to space before we attacked."

"That's good to hear." Said Revil. "We were facing a shortage of materials in Jaburo for our mobile suit and ship production. The resources here will keep our factories going for a long time. See to it that the first shipment makes it back safely, lieutenant." Matilda then saluted before leaving. Once she was gone, Revil turned to Selina. "If I recall, your daughter is stationed on the White Base, correct?" Selina nodded. "Well, since the ship is here and there's nothing that requires your attention, you can leave to go meet your daughter." Selina bowed gratefully at Revil.

"Thank you, sir. It won't take long, I promise." With that Selina left, leaving Revil to his thoughts. Now alone, Revil began ponder on what their next course of actions would be. With Odessa secured, the next step would be taking the fight to space and take back California Base along with taking out any Zeon bases still left on the planet. He had no doubt they're spilt their forces to do both, they had more than enough man power to do so. The only thing he needed to know was how they plan to accomplish those goals. With the fall of Odessa, the California Base was now the Zeon's strongest military base on Earth. Taking it won't be easy, especially since the bases that comprise the California Base was spread out along the coast of what used to the U.S. As for space, they'll have to take out several asteroid bases to even stand a shot at taking the fight to Side 3. Stroking his beard, he wondered on what to say in the next strategic meeting with the other Federation admirals and generals.

As the man pondered, Selina was making her way out of the Big Tray. As she was nearing one of the exits, she spotted, to her delight, her daughter speaking with a guard. Smiling, she walked over as she overheard their conversation.

"I'm just looking for Selina Agi, sir. I'm her daughter and I want to see her." Said Chan. The soldier just responded stoically.

"Alright, I'll radio this in. She may be busy, right now so don't expect much." The man was about to use his radio when Selina made herself known.

"I'm not busy, trooper." Said Selina as she waved at Chan, who smiled back. "I'll take over from here. You can go back to…whatever you were doing." Saluting at his superior, the guard then left. With him gone, Selina looked at Chan with happy eyes. "I missed you, Chan." She then brought her daughter over for a hug, who returned it happily. After a few seconds, they let go. "Let's speak further in my room. We'll have more privacy there." Nodding her head, Chan followed her mother as she led the way to her home. After a few minutes, the two arrived in a spacious room. The room was large for a military room. It was complete with its own bed, bathroom, and shower. Raising an eyebrow at the large room, Chan looked at her mother, who sighed.

"Perks of being an assistant to a famous general." Said Selina as she sat on the comfy bed, motioning Chan to sit next to her, who did after observing the room. "I asked for a smaller room, but the rest were already taken by other soldiers." She then sighed. "Enough of that, how have you've been, Chan. How was Luna II?" Chan smiled.

"Good. The base was fine and Wakkein was a good officer, if a bit strict with regulations and protocol. Most of the soldiers were decent and I didn't meet any problems with anyone. I made some friends there. Two fellow engineers. They've been good mentors and friends ever since I meet them. They're on the White Base with me." Said Chan. Selina smiled at that.

"Good to know that you're making friends, Chan. You always had trouble making friends your age." Chan just coughed at that, which caused Selina to frown. "They're not your age, are they?"

"No. I was the only cadet there. The two friends I'm talking about, Mr. Isaac and Al, are over 15 years my age." Hearing that caused, Selina to sigh.

"Well, at least you're making some friends at least." Said Selina. "Though I wish you made some friends your age." Chan twitched her eye a bit at that before responding.

"Well, you'll be happy to know that I did. After I was transferred to the White Base, I made some new friends with some of the crew. And you'll be happier to know that they're my age gap too." Upon hearing that, Selina shook her head a bit at the last comment.

"That's good to hear." Said Selina, ignoring the last bit of information, knowing that was her mistake. "How are they and are they good people?" Chan nodded at that.

"Ryu is a cadet, similar to me. He was training to be a fighter pilot, so he's our designated fighter pilot. He's a bit brash at time, but he has a good heart and is willing to fight mobile suits with just a measly fighter. There's Kai. He was a cocky jerk at first, but later on he became a dependable person you can count on to have your back when the fighting starts. Just be careful around him, he likes to joke around a lot. Then there's Hayato. He may be small, but the guy makes up for it in smarts and a strong moral compass. Though he pilots the Guntank, he's willing to fight a Zaku head on, even in close range. Then there's Amuro." She then sighed. "He's the pilot of the Gundam. You know, the mobile suit that beat Char and killed over a dozen Zakus in its first few missions? He's the pilot of that mobile suit." Selina nodded.

"And I heard that he's just a teenager. Is that true?" Asked Selina. Chan just nodded sadly, adopting a look of sympathy and sadness.

"Yeah. He told me that, the reason he took to piloting the Gundam, was because he wanted to end the violence happening on Side 7. He didn't want more people he knew to die, so he took to piloting the Gundam and to stop the Zeons from attacking. He beat them, but Side 7 was lost." She then turned to her mother. "The colony is repairable right?"

"Well, I didn't read much into it, but from what reports I was able to get, the colony is repairable. I doubt any of the survivors are willing to go back, though." Chan nodded in agreement. Too many bad memories and dead loved ones there. Moving on from that depressing topic, Chan went on to speak of Amuro.

"After that he became the pilot for the Gundam. Not because he believed in the Federation, but because he wanted to protect his friends. Well that, and the fact that the Federation forced him to under the threat of arrest." Selina just shook her head at that, knowing just how low the Federation was willing to go to force people to join their armed forces. "He struggled with the position at first, but Kai, Hayato, Ryu, several of Amuro's friends, his AI, and I are helping him pull through. We all do our part in helping him pull through this miserable war, whether giving him a shoulder to lean on, helping him out in battle, or just repairing his suit so that its operating at full capacity when he has to fight again." Selina smiled at that.

"It sounds hard. The boy must be pretty strong if he has to endure all that he's been through." Chan nodded in agreement.

"He had a brief struggle when we came to Earth, but we managed to help him back up. And there's the time with his mother." Selina raised an eyebrow at that.

"What about his mother?" Chan sighed before explaining the whole situation with Amuro's mother. After hearing what she said, Selina frowned. "That was completely uncalled for. I understand her reasoning behind complaining about Amuro using force against people on the refugee camp, but essentially disowning her son over protecting his friends? That uncalled for."

"I know." Said Chan. "Fortunately, for both their sakes, they reconciled and Amuro promised to go meet up with her once this war is over. I'm glad they reconciled. I shudder to think of how much her words would have affected Amuro if she made no attempt to reconcile with her son." Selina nodded. No matter how much people try to deny it, a parent's approval meant much to them. And to hear them disown them or say their ashamed of their children, it can hurt, no matter what.

"Well, I'm glad they reconciled. I just hope that they both survive so they can continue to reconcile." Chan nodded at that. "So, this, Amuro. What else is there about him?" Chan just put a finger on her lips before speaking.

"Well, he's great with electronics. Is willing to throw down his life to protect his loved ones, though you can say that for all of the White Base's pilots, and he even made a cute little robot by himself." She giggled at the thought of Haro. "He's a good guy, mom. He really is." Noting he was speaking a bit more warmly about Amuro than the other boys, Selina had a sneaking suspicion that her daughter developed feelings for this Amuro but kept it to herself. Deciding to prod her more, but carefully so as to not invoke her suspicion, about the boy.

"You seem to speak more warmly about Amuro than the other boys. I take it your closer to him than the rest?" Nodding her head, Chan clarified.

"Yes. I'm in charge of maintaining the Gundam and its AI. And since he's the pilot and has good electronical knowledge, we help each other with fixing what battle damages it sustained. So, we spent a lot of time together, bonding over a damaged mech." Selina just nodded slowly.

"I suppose, but you speak too fondly about him if he's just a simple friend." Said Selina. Having graduated with a psychology degree, she knew a thing or two about human speech patterns and tell tales on body movements and her daughter was giving any the signs that there was more to it. Seeing Chan blush, she spoke up. "There's more to it. Isn't there?"

" ***Sighs*** There is." Said Chan. "You see, back during Luna II, before I was assigned to the White Base, I…may have broke a single rule and went to the White Base when I wasn't allowed." Upon hearing that Selina widened her eyes in shock. Before she could ridicule her daughter, Chan continued. "I know I wasn't allowed to venture to the White Base at the time, mom, but I was just so interested in seeing the Federation new mobile suits that I neglected the rules just that once. And, for a time, it looked like I was going to get away with it, but Amuro spotted me and caught me red handed. At first, he thought I was a Zeon spy, after all, a Zeon attack had just happened a few hours ago, but, after he figured out I was from Side 5, he dropped his accusations. I thought that he would have turned me in, as I technically should have been, but instead he just let me go and his AI agreed. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them. I thought that would be the last time that I saw them, but I was assigned to the White Base and we've been great friends ever since." She then looked at her mother, who was studying her silently. "So, what do you think? Is that satisfactory?"

" **Hmm…not really."** Thought Selina. **"Your body movements and eyes tell the much different story. Could it be possible that…well its certainly possible. I wasn't there. And from what I heard about this Amuro boy, he sounds alright as a boyfriend and husband."** Keeping her thoughts to herself, Selina spoke up.

"Its satisfactory, Chan. Though I'm disappointed that you broke Federation regulations and we'll discuss this further, I'm glad that you got away this once." Chan smiled a bit at that, though she knew she'll get an earful from her mother soon. "I'm also glad that you're safe." She then hugged her daughter. "Ever since I heard you were assigned to the White Base, I've been worried sick of you. Everyday, I dreaded that the next report I get of the White Base would be its confirmed destruction, with you on the casualty list. As much as I want you back on Luna II or Jaburo, I won't force you to give up a position that requires you to be there, especially if people are counting on you to do your job." Chan smiled at that.

"Thanks, mom." Said Chan. "I assure you, other than the time the Zeons have boarded the ship, I haven't been in much danger." Selina nodded, remembering that detail in the report on Ramba Ral's death.

"Yes, about that." Said Selina. "You didn't…kill someone did you?" Chan then hugged her mom tighter. Sighing to herself, Selina returned the hug. "Tell me about it." Chan just stayed silent for a few moments before speaking.

"During the boarding actions, a couple of Zeon troops arrived in the hangers of the White Base. I wasn't in much of the fighting, but when a Zeon soldier was in my sights, my mind went blank and I shot him until I was out of bullets. After that, I just starred at the corpse until Amuro came and snapped me out of it. Not only that, but prior to it, my hands wouldn't stop shaking. I could barely hold a gun. I was just so scared." Feeling tears staining her uniform, Selina just hugged her daughter tighter, if that was possible.

"I can understand, Chan." Said Selina, looking at her daughter before she began to wipe her tears away. "You wouldn't believe how many young soldiers had a situation similar to yours before the operation began. The reports got so many that Revil came and inspected the troops, seeing them all having shaking hands or holding themselves. They were terrified on the coming battle and how they might not survive." She then pinched the bridge of her nose. "It was daunting, I tell you. And I have no doubt that quite a few need some therapy after this." She then began to stroke her daughter's dark blue hair. "It also daunting to kill your first person, Chan. And believe me, it'll only get easier and easier to do. Its always the first one that's the most difficult one to do. But after it, it becomes more and more natural until you no longer care about killing. It usually somewhere there, that a person changes. They either become cold, heartless killers or people that despise killing but know that sometimes its inevitable. Based on how you reacted, I'm guessing your still on the whims on which one you'll be. Let me give you some advice, Chan. Killing will always be a tragedy for someone, whether its someone you know or on the enemies' side, because that person you killed will have people mourning them or crying over them. The only difference is, should it be people you know or complete strangers. It all depends if you pull the trigger of a gun or not. What I'm trying to say, Chan, is, no matter what, someone will mourn when someone is killed and that its up to you to decide if you want it to be someone you know, like me or Amuro, or that soldier's own family and friends. This is selfish thinking, but if I was in your position, I would choose the people I don't know over my own friends and family mourning me. This is heartless thinking and saying, but, deep down, all of us would want that." Chan just nodded before putting her head on her mother's neck.

"Its still horrible, though." Said Chan, feeling tears prick her eyes again. Selina just nodded again at that. Hoping to end this on a high note, Selina decided to focus back on the White Base crew.

* * *

 **Bright Noa**

* * *

"Lieutenant Noa, we're here for the prisoners that you have." Said a Federation soldier, a captain. He and his men were waiting for the prisoners to arrive so they can be transferred to a Federation POW camp. Bright just looked at the man before responding.

"Of course, sir, before I do, however, I must ask will the prisoners be treated with respect as stated in the Antarctic treaty?" Though Revil had assured him that he would sent a squad of troops that he personally trusted and that the White Base's prisoners will be transferred to a respectable POW camp, he still wanted to make sure.

"Of course, we aren't idiots like those Zeons nutjobs that thought launching a nuke while they are banned was a good idea." Said the captain, a bit annoyed. "I mean, technically, we also have a few nutjobs as well, but you get the idea. Just give us the prisoners so we can leave." Nodding his head, he told Carmine, who was standing next to him to escort the troops to the prisoners. As Carmine lead the troops to the brig, the captain stayed behind. Clearing his throat, the man spoke up. "After the prisoner transfer, the 08th MS team will be transferred back to Asia. Apparently, the forces there are making preparation to eliminating the Zeon presence there and they want their forces back. Lieutenant Agar and his team will remain with you until you arrive in Jaburo, where they'll be transferred to another Pegasus assault carrier. Don't worry, they'll be replaced with another MS team, the 4th immortal team. They were some of the first pilots to get to pilot a GM and they're some of our best pilots. They'll be more than adequate for your ship." Bright nodded at that.

"Understood. Shall we make our way to Jaburo now?" The captain just shook his head.

"Negative. Revil has ordered you to make your way to the Federation base in Belfast, where you'll be repaired and restocked. The seas there should be safe for the moment, so I recommend you go as quickly as possible." Bright nodded, grateful. They were seriously low on food and ammo. And they needed to get a new backpack for the Full Armor. He hoped they'll get a replacement in Jaburo, if not in Belfast. Saluting the man, Bright left the man to go to the bridge. There was something that he needed to do with Sayla. A few minutes later, the prisoners, ten in total, where being escorted by Federation soldiers. As they were making to the Medea transport, Aina heard someone yell out.

"Wait!" Yelled Shiro as he made his way to the group. Seeing Shiro, the guards relaxed, but still on guard. Upon nearing Aina, Shiro held out her watch. Gasping at it, Aina looked at the watch.

"You kept it? All this time?" Asked Aina. When she realized that she was missing her watched, she berated herself as that watch as a gift from her mother. It was all she had left of her. To see it back again and that Shiro kept it all this time, made Aina feel relieved.

"Yeah." Said Shiro as he rubbed his head. "I would be giving it to you, but," He then looked at the soldiers, who were watching him closely, hands gripped on their rifles. "I'll keep it safe for you, I promise. When this war is over and you're free, I'll give it back." Aina smiled at that, knowing she can trust Shiro with her watch. "As for what you said, I'll give you my answer when you're free and this war is over. I promise." Aina nodded at that, happy that Shiro had listened to her. With that, Shiro motioned for the soldiers to take them away. The soldiers looked at Shiro with narrowed eyes, obviously not liking that he was friendly with a enemy prisoner, but Carmine and the captain ordered them forward, to forget about it. As she was walking away, Aina looked at Norris, who simply raised an eyebrow at her display of friendship with a Federation soldier. Closing his eyes, he shrugged, which caused Aina to smile. It was Norris's way on saying he didn't mind her relationship with a Feddie. A few minutes later, the Medea began to take off. Once he was out of his sights, Shiro began to leave to inform his team that they'll be transferred out of the White Base and that they're needed back to Asia. He also made plans to inform Amuro, knowing that the young pilot needed to be told as well. He wished they could train more, but he had his orders. Smiling at the young pilot, he watched as he and another engineer worked on scavenging his old Gundam.

* * *

 **Half hour later**

 **Bright's quarters**

* * *

Bright paced around his room as he waited for Sayla to arrive. After the ship was making its way to Belfast, he ordered Sayla to meet him in his quarters, saying that its important. And important it was, he was determined to find out if she truly was the missing daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun. Both for his own curiosity and to see if he can trust her. He knew that this can potentially damage his relations with her, which will be a shame as she was a good comm officer and poor relationships between crewmembers can be fatal, but he needed to do this. After steeling his nerves, he looked at a wall before he heard the door opening. Looking over, he saw Sayla coming in.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Asked Sayla, a bit confused on why he asked for her. Sighing to himself, Bright spoke up.

"Sayla, since I've meet you on this ship, you've been a good woman and crew member. You've been great help to the crew by being our comm officer and I would never betray your trust." He then sighed again. "However, there has been some information that has come to my attention that leaves me to question your true loyalty." Widening her eyes, Sayla looked at Bright in shock.

"What can cause you to do that, sir?" Asked Sayla, though she had a sneaking suspicion on what it was. Looking at her straight in the eye, Bright told her what was on his mind.

"Are you the daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun?" Demanded Bright as Sayla widened her eyes in shock.

* * *

 **Sorry for leaving this in a cliff hanger, but this just seemed logical to me. Sorry.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- Yeah I plan to do some development for Kai, and a few others. Yeah, they'll get some aliases. Actually, thinking about it, I don't understand why the Zeons didn't give them aliases as well. I know the Gundam did most of the damage and was the most unique of the three, as both the Guntank and Guncannon saw limited production, but you think that, given their presence in the White Base's mobile suit complement, they give some aliases to them. I'll think on what to give the others. Nice nickname for Kai, though.**

 **RedRat8- There'll be more interactions with Agar and the White Base crew now, along with some development for Agar.**

 **Also yeah, I felt disappointment with Burnings death. I get what they were going for with his death, at least I think so, but the way it was executed was, in my opinion, done poorly. I can Monsha doing that, he'll have respect for Amuro, no doubt on that, but I feel like he'll be in disbelief that a kid was able to beat to hold out so long against so many Zeon aces. And I find it amusing that Bright will slap that guy for hitting on Mirai, which will surely happen, lets be honest. The other two…well I don't honestly remember much of them. I just gave them nicknames like blond pretty boy and guy with fine mustache.**

 **Yeah, the underwater suits will give them trouble in the next few chapters. Not this one as the first time they were sent as a scout team. The next few chapters will have a decent battle between the Gundam and the amphibious suits along with some help from Federation amphibious suits.**

 **Some plans currently in development for her. One that guarantee to happen is her wedding with Woody and the White Base crew being there for it (Still don't quite see why they would invite them or if the Federation will allow it, but hey, this is fanfiction).**

 **I'm not exactly a good theorist and all, but judging from what I know of Revil, its likely that he'll try to be sensible with military spending and not invest in the big gun philosophy ( I don't know why the Federation still thought that was a good idea when it was clearly shown in the final battles of the One Year War that it doesn't work well with Minovsky particles in the area.) and he'll likely prevent the GP02 from having a nuke, thus preventing operation stardust form happening, as without the nuke, the Delaz fleet has no way to destroy the Federation assembly at Konpei island without suffering mass casualties (Also not giving them any justification for attacking as, without the existence of a nuke carrying mobile suit, any sensible person would amount their attack to terrorism.). I could go on, but this is taking too long. As for having him survive, you'll see.**

 **R reyes- Bright might do it when he flirts too far with Mirai.**

 **RedRat8 (part 2)- You'll see more obscure pilots here, I assure you. They won't fight with Amuro and the White Base, though. Much as I like the White Base crew, it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to have them meet all these pilots. There are simply too many fronts in the war to have all these good pilots be assigned to the White Base, and it would be exhausting for the crew if they were sent to all these fronts to help out. Maybe after the war. Though that might change in the weeks before the battle of A Baoa Qu. I'll think on it more.**

 **As for the Thunderbolt, that sounds reasonable and actually somewhat goes along my plan for that sector. I won't say anymore though.**

* * *

 **White Base**

* * *

As seconds became minutes, Bright continued to look at Sayla as she opened and closed her mouth, trying to think of ways to respond. The sheer silence from her either meant that his suspicions were true or that question was just so shocking to her, which was a possibility. After all, being accused of being the missing daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun can leave most people shocked beyond belief. Fortunately, or not, Sayla recovered and glared at Bright.

"How dare you accuse me of being Zeon Zum Deikun's daughter, Mr. Bright!" Yelled Sayla, glaring at the man. Despite the glare, Bright stood firm. "I served under you faithfully and now you suddenly accuse me of being the daughter of Zeon's former leader? How dare you!" Inside Bright swore. He knew this was going to happen and he wanted so badly to take this all back, but its too late now. Pushing on, he began to explain himself.

"Forgive me Sayla, but recent events have convinced me that you are indeed the daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun." Sayla then narrowed her eyes, daring him to prove it. "The first bit was when Oscar and Marker told me that Ramba Ral, minutes before his demise, said that you're Artesia Deikun. At first, I thought that the man was insane and that you're appearance was purely coincidental, but then I looked into your backstory and asked Mira about you," Seeing her widen her eyes in shock made Bright realize that he was getting warmer. "She told me that your father never had children. Yet suddenly two young children, a girl and boy, were registered as member of the Mass family as his son and daughter, despite the fact that he never had an affair with a woman. They were also around your age range when they were registered." He then looked at Sayla seriously. "Then, when you were attacked, you all moved to the Texas colony, a colony close to Side 3. Why is that?" Sayla just coughed before explaining.

"Well, my father was sick and tired of all the backstabbing on Earth so he took us far away from all that. Side 3 may be the farthest, but he was afraid of the anti Earthnoid sentiments among the populace. So, we choose Texas colony as the best alternative. Is that wrong, Mr. Bright?" Asked Sayla, saying it all with a straight face. Bright could clearly saw that Sayla was enraged at his question, but he kept pushing.

"Nothing is inherently wrong, Sayla." Said Bright. "But what began to happen during your teenage years concerned me. I'm talking about the incident with your brother." When Sayla widened her eyes, Bright continued. "I was looking through your history, what little of it I could find with the resources on hand, and I found the information regarding your brother. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for what happened, and you have my sympathy. But what I found was concerning. Prior the explosion that killed your brother, there was a boy that looked exactly liked him. Char Aznable." When he found out what Edouard Mass looked like, he was shocked when he looked exactly like Char Aznable, aside from having blue eyes. This made him suspicious. Call him insane or a crackpot theorist, but he had reason, if little, to believe that Char Aznable was actually Edouard Mass, or really, Casval Zum Deikun. Looking at Sayla, he spoke up. "So here's my crazy theory. If you and Edouard are really Artesia and Casval Deikun, then I believe that Edouard swapped places with Char Aznable, whether out of revenge or not, I have no idea, which means he escaped the explosion meant for him and he became the Red Comet." Letting the theory sink for a couple of minutes, Bright spoke again. "I know this sound crazy and you have the right to be angry with me Sayla, but tell me the truth. Does my theory or my questions have any truth to them?" Sayla didn't say anything, instead she just looked at the ground. After a few minutes, she sighed and got up. Walking past Bright, she made a passing glare at him before leaving his room. Once she was gone, Bright sighed.

" **That actually went better than expected."** Thought Bright as he looked at his door. **'Still, the fact that she didn't say anything…does this mean that what I said have some truth to it?"**

* * *

 **Sayla**

* * *

" **How dare Mr. Bright make such accusations?"** Thought Sayla as she marched down to her room, feeling angry at Mr. Bright. **"I thought I could trust him, but he's just like all the rest! All he cares about is ending the war!"** Sighing to herself, she knew immediately that she was lying to herself. **"No, he isn't. He just wants to know if I'm Artesia. He got suspicious when Ramba said that I was Artesia and he made an investigation of it. He must have got enough information to make him conclude that I'm Artesia. And I might as well convinced him with how I marched off."** Looking at the floor, she sighed again as tears rolled down her eyes. Even though she wasn't sure that Bright knew, he was right. She was Artesia Deikun. The long lost daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun.

Having went into hiding with the Mass family with her brother Casval, she ditched her birth name to become Sayla Mass. To the entire system, other than a select few, she was Sayla Mass, not Artesia Deikun. However, it seemed that the secret was beginning to come out. If Bright, though he was an intelligent man, can figure it out with limited resources, then its only a matter of time before the Federation does. Bright, though a good man, would have to report this to the Federation, who would probably conduct their own investigations to verify it. When they did, she would undoubtably be used as a hostage to end the war. Much as the Zabi's claim the opposite, Zeon Zum Deikun's influence on Side 3 is still strong and fresh in the minds of the people. It was his leadership and guidance that enabled the thoughts of independence and rebellion to seed in the people, after all. So, once the people learn that the Federation is threatening the life of Artesia Deikun, the daughter of Zeon Zum Deikun, unless the war ends, the people will lay down their arms and beg the Zabis to negotiate with the Federation, if not force them. Refusing to be used as a pawn, Sayla hoped that Bright would not tell the Federation, even beg if she had to. Putting a hand on her head, she began to think of what to do.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Amuro**

* * *

"I'm telling you Kai, this is a bad idea." Said Amuro as he finished finetuning Haro.

"I second this." Said Chan, though she had a bit of a smile on her face. Kai just shook his head at the two geeks.

"Oh come on, you two! Live a little." Said Kai as Amuro let go of Haro, who rolled a bit back from the three. "If it works, it'll be great for the kids. Besides, you didn't install anything dangerous on Haro. Ready, ball?" Haro just nodded before opening his mouth and squirting some water at the wall. " ***Laughs*** I told ya it would work! Now the kids got something new to do with Haro."

"Yeah, something to annoy people with." Deadpanned Amuro, causing Kai to slap him on the back with a laugh. " ***Sighs*** Well, at least it'll entertain them for a bit."

"That's the point, man" Said Kai before leaving. "Come on. Its lunch time. I rather not be the last one there. Chefs are serving the last of the chicken." Nodding their heads, Chan and Amuro walked besides Kai as they left of the mess hall. As they walked, Chan spoke up.

"So, when we get to Belfast, what do you think Revil is going to speak about?" Turning their heads to Chan, she realized they didn't know. "Oh right, silly me," Chan let out a nervous smile. "My mother told me. Revil planned to meet with the entire crew while we're in Belfast. Apparently it's to address questions on retirement of crew members."

"Really?" Asked Kai as he put his arms around his head. "You think they'll actually let any of us leave? Call me skeptic, but I don't buy it." Chan nodded in understanding.

"Unfortunately, you're right to be skeptical, Kai." Said Chan. "For all intents and purposes, we're all, whether we want to or not, are part of the Federation military. She said that Revil tried to reason with the other high-ranking officers, but they wouldn't have any of it. She said to not bring the hopes up of everyone." Amuro clenched his fists at that.

"So, we're forced to become soldiers." Said Amuro, disappointed and angry. Chan just nodded while Kai just sighed.

"I'm sorry. Revil tried his best, but the higher-ups were adamant on it." Said Chan, a tone of sympathy in her voice.

"Well, its better than going to jail, I guess." Said Kai. He then looked at Amuro. "Guess we'll have to fight longer so that everyone here can know a life out of the military again, huh?" Amuro nodded at that.

"Looks that way, Kai." Said Amuro. Though he was fine with fighting to protect the crew, he didn't like that fact that they were forced in service. They were given no choice to be soldiers or not and he hated that. Wanting something to do, he sighed and looked at the two. "Looks, lets just get something to eat. I need something to take my mind off of this." The two nodded and the three ventured into the mess hall. After arriving, they got their food and began to eat. As they eat, they saw Agar coming in, getting an orange, and speaking to his teammates. Its clear from his stance that he's angry over something.

"Can't believe that Amada was involved with a Zeon woman." Said Agar with disgust. While one nodded, the other shrugged. Curiosity getting the better at them, the three listened in. "I knew that something was wrong with him the moment I meet him. The way he refused to kill those Zeon scums back before we met the White Base. Then sparing those Midnight Fenrir soldiers. And now this? I can't believe that man ever became an ensign. He's a disgrace to the officer corps and the Federation." As Agar continued to speak negatively of Shiro, Amuro was glaring at him along with Chan while Kai shook his head.

" **How dare he insult Shiro."** Thought Amuro. He couldn't believe Agar was saying these things. He didn't interact much with Agar, just exchanging greeting with him, so to hear this guy insult a person that Amuro respected, left him clenching his fists in anger. He was about to teach him a lesson when Chan placed a hand on his lap, shaking her head. Exhaling, he nodded. It wasn't worth it. All it'll do is just get Agar's ire and a chewing out from either Carmine or Bright, neither of which Amuro was eager to face. So, swallowing his anger, he went back to eating, though he didn't have much of an appetite after hearing Agar. For a time it worked and Amuro began to ignore what Agar was saying. Unfortunately, Agar then began to speak negatively about Side 3.

"Its all the damn Zeons fault." Said Agar. "Those damn idiots couldn't just accept Federation rule. They had to go and start a rule over something as pointless as independence. Now look what's happened. Over half of both sides are dead, a side was destroyed completely, and Earth has suffered a colony drop. Now those Zeons are seducing our officers. Does their depravity know no bounds? They should all be exterminated so that stuff like this doesn't happen for a generation or two." As his teammates looked at each other, wondering what to say, Amuro and Chan were clenching their fists. Kai was just stabbing his food forcefully. That just tore it. Depicting all the Zeons as monsters was one thing, but asking for all the people on Side 3 was a whole other can of worms that crossed the line. Amuro was about to give Agar a piece of his own mind when Sayla, who had just walked in, beat him to it.

"How dare you!" Yelled Sayla, marching over to Agar. Looking up, Agar then received a sharp slap on the cheek. The sound caused everyone in the mess hall to stop what they were doing to look at the commotion. Holding his cheek, Agar stared at Sayla in shock for a few moments before glaring at her.

"The hell was that for!?" Demanded Agar. "Don't tell me that your siding with those Zeons too!?"

"I'm not." Said Sayla firmly, still glaring. "But your reasons for fighting the Zeons are nothing more than idiotic reasons that vilify the enemy for no good reason. And they, if anything, just proves the Zeons are right in their fight against the Federation. If more people think like you, then all the sides should rebel again the Federation if this is how the Federation operates. With the way you act, I don't see any difference between you and the monsters that you claim the Zeons to be." Glaring at Sayla, Agar straight up punched the woman in the face. Reeling from the punch, Sayla slapped him back before following up with a kick in the gut. Glaring at her, the two were about to go out when Chan stepped in.

"Alright, that's enough!" Yelled Chan placing her hands out in front of each other. "Whether or not Agar is right to have his belief on the Zeons, we shouldn't be throwing punches on each other. We're supposed to be on the same side. Fighting a common enemy. Fighting each other just benefits the enemy! So please." She then looked at the two, gauging their reactions. "Back off from each other, at least until Agar is transferred off of the White Base."

"And I can't wait to get off this ship. Bunch of Zeon sympathizers." Growled Agar. That comment caused Sayla to step toward Agar but Chan stopped her. The look of pleading from Chan convinced Sayla to stand down, but that didn't stop her from glaring at Agar, who glared back. After a few seconds, the two began to back down and start to move away from each other. It seemed, for a moment, that the situation has defused, but then Agar opened his mouth again. "You guys should get rid of this whore the moment we land on Belfast. Its clear that she's a spy for the Zeons. Or, at the least, having an affair with a soldier." That set off Sayla. Glaring at Agar with renewed hate, she proceeded to march at Agar. Chan tried to stop her, but Sayla just forcibly removed her hands from her body and marched down at Agar, who glared at Sayla. Without warning, Sayla tried to punch Agar, but the man was prepared. Grabbing her fist, he countered with his own, sending it directly to her left cheek. He put so much force into it that Sayla crashed into a table. Recovering quickly, she swept Agar from his feet as he tried to walk up to her. The two then proceeded to slug it out on the floor. Shocked that this was happening, Chan tried to reason with them while Amuro and Kai tried to get them away from each other. Eventually, Agar's teammates helped them out. With the combined might of all four guys, they managed to rip the two from each other. Holding them in case they tried to fight each other again, the four looked at each other and nodded. With Amuro and Kai holding Sayla and Agar's teammates holding the man, the four began to leave the mess hall with Chan following Amuro's group. As Agar shouted profanities at them, particularly Sayla, the four left the mess hall. After finding Sayla's room, the four went in and let go of Sayla there. With the situation done, Chan began to inspect Sayla's cheek.

"You'll have a bruise there for awhile, Sayla." Said Chan, seeing the formation of a bruise on her left cheek. She then saw that her hair was also a mess along with her uniform. "You want me to get you a new uniform?" Sayla nodded.

"Thanks for trying to diffuse the situation Chan." Said Sayla as the blue-haired girl went through Sayla's closet and brought out a new uniform. "I just couldn't help myself. Agar and his hate." She then shook her head. "What's with that man? Its like he can't see beyond the propaganda the Federation is spewing out. Unbelievable."

"I don't know." Said Chan as she gave Sayla the new uniform. "Its best to just avoid him for the rest of the time he's here. We wouldn't want you court-martialed over fighting someone, who is ignorant of the fact that our enemy also have families and lives beyond the military." Everyone just nodded at that.

"But that Agar, though." Said Amuro, clenching his fists. "He's going to say something that just set one of us off. I just feel it." Kai nodded.

"Probably." Said Kai. "I can't wait until he's gone. Really wish it was Shiro that stayed and not him." Everyone nodded at that.

"Well, he's not." Said Chan with a sigh. "Let's just pray that we don't have to deal with Agar more than we need to. I'll do my best to avoid him and so should the rest of you." Everyone nodded in agreement. "We'd best be going. See you once we land, Sayla." With that, the three were about to leave when Sayla yelled out.

"Just out of curiosity. What do you all think of Side 3? The normal people?" Shocked to hear that, the three looked at each other before Kai shrugged.

"I guess pity because people feel like they're all monsters on account of Side 5 and the colony drop on Earth in the first weeks of the war. They get to suffer hate just because their military leaders decided it was a good idea to destroy a Side and drop a colony on Earth. Its sad." Amuro nodded.

"Well, they're still people, Sayla. They shouldn't be judged over the actions of their soldiers. If the war ends with the Federation victorious, I hope the Federation isn't too harsh on Side 3. They just wanted independence, after all." Chan then put in her two cents.

"They're both right. Most of the population, at least I believe so, wanted just independence from the Federation. And who could blame them? The Federation has little to no representation for the sides in the council. They have large garrisons on the Sides, with tanks of all things, and it's a known thing that the Federation officials in the Sides are largely corrupt. Accepting large bribes in favor of turning a blind eye to crime or supporting a Side politician with a large amount of money. As much as I hate the Zeons for destroying my home, I'm not going to blame the entire Side for that. Its only the higherups in Zeons that I hate. As much as I understand they're want to end the war quickly, that doesn't condone the fact that they destroyed an entire Side, gassed the population of one of its colony, then used that colony as a weapon against Earth. And let's not forget that nuclear missile thing too." Everyone nodded at that, shocked that the Zeons would resort to such measures. "So, yeah. What Agar did was uncalled for. He's essentially generalizing the entire Side 3 population, including the elderly and children, as monsters. When in actuality, its far more complicated than that." Nodding her head in agreement, Sayla looked at the three with a smile of appreciation.

"Exactly. Thank you for sharing in my thoughts." Said Sayla. "I'll make sure that Bright doesn't try to do anything to you guys. You didn't do anything but break up a fight." The three nodded.

"And we'll tell Bright our side of the story so he'll be lenient on the punishment for you." Said Amuro. In his eyes, Agar was in the wrong and started it all. Not Sayla.

"Speaking of Bright, we should get going. No doubt that Agar is trying to get Sayla in trouble." Said Kai. Nodding in agreement, Chan and Amuro left with Kai, leaving Sayla alone. Sighing to herself, Sayla walked to her bed and sat on it. Although she was grateful for them for sticking up to her and not seeing all of Side 3 as monsters, Sayla couldn't help but feel that she had brought this upon herself. She knew that what she did to Agar was wrong, but she couldn't help it. The man was insulting her home Side with such ignorance and impurity that she snapped. And she dragged those poor pilots and engineer with her. She sincerely hoped that Bright won't punish them. Sighing again, she laid on her bed, wondering on what to do.

* * *

 **Revil**

 **Thirty minutes later**

 **Belfast**

 **Federation base**

* * *

"Take it easy, sir." Said Selina as she watched Revil get out of their transport.

"I will Selina. I'm not that old." Said Revil, indignantly. Looking at the Federation base that they were on, Revil looked at Selina. "Has the White Base arrived yet?" Upon hearing the question, a Federation officer, who was waiting for Revil, stepped up.

"Yes sir. The base's engineering corps is currently working with the White Base crew in fixing and restocking their ship. Those that aren't assigned to the helping them, are waiting for you in a conference room." Said the officer, causing Revil to nod.

"Good." Said Revil before walking. Motioning the officer and Selina to follow him, he began to speak to the officer. "What's the base's defenses?" The officer just looked at Revil in surprise before responding.

"We have a few mobile anti-mobile suit launchers, a few type-61 tanks, and a squadron of the new GM aquas." Upon hearing that last part, Revil raised an eyebrow.

"GM aquas?" Asked Revil.

"Yes sir." Said the officer. "They had just arrived with their pilots. These GMs were modified for underwater combat and have the appropriate weapons to do so." Revil nodded at that. "With respect sir, why are you asking this? Are you expecting an attack?" Revil once again nodded.

"I have no doubt that the Zeons will launch an attack here while the White Base is here. Have our security forces on guard at all times. We may face an attack from amphibious forces." Nodding his head, the officer assured Revil that they'll be ready. Giving the man a nod, Revil continued marching to the command center, having promised to meet with the White base crew there to give them their new assignment as well as some information that can prove beneficial to them. Sighing, he also remembered that he had to give them the news that they're all now in the military as enlisted personal. It was either that or being arrested for knowing of military secrets. Kowen tried to reason with everyone, saying the Zeons gave them no choice, but the majority ruled. So, to avoid rotting in a military prison, the White Base crew, the ones from Side 7, had to become military personal until the One Year war ended. Then they can go on with their lives. Though Revil sided with Kowen, he could understand the others. They couldn't let the Side 7 population off scot free because of what happened to them. Much as he sympathized them, he couldn't let that stop him from keeping doing what must be done. That didn't mean that it was easy to do. Sighing to himself, he wondered on how to break this down to them when he saw a trio of children running around, playing around. Raising an eyebrow, Revil wondered how these kids were allowed in the base. He then got his answer when a teenage girl ran up to them.

"You shouldn't be off on your own here, guys!" Yelled the girl as she scolded the kids, only for them to stick their tongues out and run off laughing. Groaning, she was about to give chase when she noticed general Revil. "Uh, sorry sir. I'll get them under control." Said the girl while giving him a salute. Revil was about to reply when she looked at the kids, growled, and ran to chase them.

"Well, that was something." Said Selina with a raised eyebrow. Revil just nodded before walking off, secretly hiding his amusement.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Zeon Mad Angler submarine**

* * *

"Lieutenant Mulligan! We got a message from our spy!" Yelled a radio operator before he gave a picture to the aforementioned lieutenant. Grabbing the picture, Mulligan frowned.

"This picture is barely usable. There's too much interference." Said Mulligan. He looked at the operator. "Did she give anything else?"

"Yes, she claims that she spotted a new Federation warship that she has never seen before. Its white with a bit of red and blue." Upon hearing that, Mulligan pursed his lips. Turning to the commander of the submarine unit, he gave the picture to the man.

"Captain Char, this picture was given to us by our spy in the Federation base in the Belfast area. I suspect that she may have spotted the Trojan Horse based on her report. What do you think?" Turning around, Char grabbed the picture and examined it.

"Hmm." Said Char as he looked at the picture. "Well, there's too much interference for me to determine if it really is the Trojan Horse, but I bet it is. Is there any other units close to the spy?" Mulligan nodded.

"Yes, sir. Captain Boone's unit is there. Shall I contact them?" Asked Mulligan. Char nodded before beginning to leave.

"Of course. Tell them to engage the enemy and to get confirmation that the Trojan Horse is there. And also tell them that I'm on my way. I need to verify this myself." Said Char as he exited the cockpit. Mulligan, surprised to hear this, nevertheless complied and relayed the orders to one Captain Boone.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

Revil waited as the last of the White Base crew arrived. Once that they were all here, he spoke up.

"Greeting." Said Revil. "First off, I like to apologize for the lack of adequate support given to you for the majority of your stay on Earth. It should have never happened in the first place and I apologize greatly for it. I know that an apology will never make up for that and I swear to you that, from this day on, you'll no longer fight without a Federation task force to support you." Upon hearing that, people grumbled, saying that it was about time, or were sighing in relief, happy that they're getting more support from the Federation. "Now onto the next topic. As you know, after your ship is refueled and restocked, you'll be sent to Jaburo, where you'll receive the team that will support you from there on out. Not to mention, doctor Whitley will be reassigned to you. I'm sure that some of you will be happy to hear that." As expected, some of the crew brightened up, particularly the Gundam pilot. "Now as much as I like to give more good news, I'm afraid the rest isn't. As I'm sure some of you are aware, since you've been exposed to military secrets, the Federation will normally be arresting you all for the rest of your lives." Upon hearing that, people began to protest, but Revil held out his hand. "However, due to the circumstances of your situation, we decided to draft you all into service. Not only will you all get pay for your services, but you'll all be able to leave the military life once the war is over, with a generous retirement package. Its not much, buts it's the best that we can offer." Though some people still wanted to protest, most just accepted, though they didn't do anything to hide their disappointment. Fighting back the urge to sigh, at him and the Federation, Revil continued. "And the last bit of information is concerning the enemy. Though we captured one of their primary resource and military bases on Earth, that hasn't stop the Principality from making strides in their mobile suit research." Revil then showed them pictures of new enemy mobile suits blueprints that their spies have acquired or were taken from the Odessa base. Upon seeing so many, Amuro spoke up.

"Are all those mobile suit schematics? One for each?" Asked Amuro, shocked that the Zeons had so many prototypes in development. Revil nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes. Though many will probably never see the light of day, our spies have confirmed that the Zeons have already picked several for development. There's also confirmed reports of the Zeons field testing a new type of mobile weapon called mobile armor. Though we don't know much about the specifics, we do know that these mobile armors are being tested with the latest prototype weapons that the Zeons have. They're being equipped with weapons that have been deemed to infeasible for normal mobile suits like the Zaku, such as a mega particle cannons and an I-field. So from this day forth, be on your toes. For these mobile armors may be the key to defeating the Gundam." As people murmured to themselves, Revil looked at Bright, who despite being stoic, was concerned for his crew, something that Revil can understand completely. Once the murmuring died down, Revil continued. "You're all dismissed. As you leave this base to your ship, there'll be an officer waiting to give you all your official military papers, IDs, and ranks." With that everyone left. Once the room was empty, Revil got up and walked to his temporary office in Belfast, where Selina was in, going over reports from Odessa. As he walked, he got the feeling that something was going to happen. Something bad.

* * *

 **Federation Base**

 **Belfast**

 **Monitoring station Alpha**

 **Few minutes later**

* * *

A soldier was busy monitoring a section of the perimeter when the alarm broke out. Looking over at another monitor, he saw that one of the perimeter mines had just went off.

"Sir! A mine just went off in section 25!" Upon hearing that the officer sprang into action.

"Sound the alarm. Notify all combat personal and get those new GMs ready!" As the monitoring station began to notify the rest of the base, in just under a minute, two mobile suits emerged from the sea. Like the Zeon Dom or Zaku, these mobile suits had only one eye, signifying their allegiance to Zeon. But unlike those two mobile suits, these suits were fat and had a cone-shaped head. They also had two large cannons on their mid-section alongside two missile launchers. They also had large, claw-like hands that looked like they can cut something to ribbons if they were used as a weapon. Looking at each other, the two mobile suits began to march toward the town near the Federation base. As Federation forces scrambled to respond, the White Base crew was getting the Gundam out along with the Guncannons and Core booster. The Guntank, unfortunately, was down for maintenance and repairs.

"Gundam, ready to go!" Yelled Amuro before taking off with all four Guncannons. As the five mobile suits marched to face their enemy, Amuro looked at Kai's Guncannon. Putting up a private channel, he spoke. "You think Agar is holding a grudge against us? Think it'll affect his teamwork with us."

"Probably." Said Kai as he looked at Agar's Guncannon. "People like him are unpredictable. Still, I don't think he'll do anything stupid against us while there are Zeons out killing people." Amuro nodded at that. Despite Agar's hatred and simple-minded view on Side 3, the man was willing to set aside a grudge if it means more dead Zeons rather than those from the Federation. Still, he was going to be cautious when fighting with him. He wasn't going to take chances. Focusing on the situation at hand, the Federation mobile suits quickly rushed toward the town, where the enemy mobile suits were destroying the Federation response forces. The reason behind this was due to the first responders being only tanks and halftracks loaded with missiles or vulcan guns. The Aqua GMs were, regrettably, still getting ready as the Federation didn't think that they were needed yet. Revil, who was watching all in carnage in a mansion, that was made for Federation officers, stood stoically as the carnage happened.

"Sir! With respect, we should get you away from all this fighting!" Yelled Selina as several officers were scrambling to get the base's security forces up and running.

"I understand your worry Selina, but it doesn't matter if I'm in the front lines or back behind the lines, giving orders. Men will continue fighting regardless." Said Revil.

"That may be true, sir, but…" She couldn't say anymore when an explosion went off nearby, causing the mansion to shake.

"Can't we contain those mobile suits!?" Yelled Revil as he watched the Zeon mobile suits, known to the Federation as Goggs due to intel from Odessa, wreaked havoc in the area.

"The GMs are up and running, sir, but it'll take a few minutes before they can do anything effective." Revil just gritted his teeth as he saw the Goggs destroying their forces.

"What about the White Base?! Are they're mobile suits able to assist?!"

"Yes sir! We just go confirmation that they sent out their Guncannons and Gundam! They're engaging the enemy now." As if on que, the four Guncannons and Gundam appeared in Revil's view and began engaging the Goggs, who began to retreat back into the ocean. Sighing, though he was grateful for the assistance, he couldn't help but be a little old.

"Mobile suits." Said Revil with a sigh. "Like guns replacing swords and the bow and arrow, mobile suits have become the king of combat now." His eyes then widen when he saw a Guncannon charging into the ocean.

"What is that mobile suit doing!?" Asked Selina in shock as she and the other officers looks at the Guncannon charging at the retreating enemy with binoculars. Knowing that it was Agar, Revil ordered a transmission be sent to the mobile suits of the White Base immediately.

* * *

 **Amuro**

 **Few seconds later**

* * *

" **Amuro, we're getting a call from general Revil.** " Upon hearing the name of the general, Amuro put the call through.

"All mobile suits of the White Base cease pursuit operations. The enemy is leading you into a trap!" Upon hearing that, Amuro and the rest of the Guncannons, sans Agar, stopped. "Those mobile suits are amphibious models. They excel in fighting underwater. They're leading you into a more advantageous environment for them. Hold until our own specialized amphibious units arrive to assist. That's an order." With that, the transmission ended.

"You think he's right?" Asked Kai, looking at the Gundam.

"I don't think that Revil would give us false intel." Said Amuro, looking at the ocean. "I mean, it doesn't benefit him at all. Plus, it makes sense. Those things were two fat and slow to be of any use above water and we've been told they came from the ocean, so it stands to reason these are mobile suits that work the best underwater." Kai nodded, seeing Amuro's point.

"That makes sense. Now we got to tell Agar that!" Yelled Kai as his Guncannon pointed to Agar's own Guncannon charging at the ocean. Slapping his helmet, Kai contacted Agar. "You damn idiot, what the heck are you doing!? They're leading us into a trap! We got to wait until the reinforcements arrive!"

"By the time they come here, they'll have already escaped!" Yelled Agar as he got closer to the ocean. "No way in hell am I letting those murderers get away! Unlike you cowards!"

"Cowards? You damn idiot!" Yelled Kai as he and the others saw Agar jump into the ocean. "Unbelievable. Guess we got to save his ass, huh?" The others nodded. "What do you say Amuro? Ready to disobey orders to save a jackass?" Amuro just sighed before running toward the ocean. Much as he disliked Agar for his narrowminded view on the enemy, that didn't mean he wasn't going to try to save the man. He still had a family out there and Amuro wasn't going to let them grieve for him when he could have done something to save Agar. With the Gundam moving, the other Guncannons followed.

"Vega, tell whatever reinforcements to get here as soon as possible. We'll need because we're fighting the enemy on their own turf." Said Amuro.

" **They just arrived."** Said Vega as the rest of the White Base's mobile suit force jumped into the ocean just as the Aqua GMs arrived.

* * *

 **Agar**

 **Underwater**

* * *

"Alright, where are you damn Zekes!?" Demanded Agar as he surveyed the ocean for the enemy. He didn't care if they had the advantage in the water, he was going to tear them apart, even if they had to do it alone.

" **Are you sure that this is the right course of action?"** Asked Scourge as he scanned their area for the enemy. " **The Guncannon is not made for underwater combat. I'm up for destroying the Zeon forces, but this seems suicidal."**

"Trust me, Scourge. We got this." Growled Agar as he clenched his controls. He really didn't need his AI to start questioning his decisions right now. Silent, Scourge resumed to scan the area while also maintaining control of their thrusters so that they can stay in a safe pressure level as, if they went too deep, they'll compress into a tiny ball the size of a pea. As the scans brought up nothing, Agar tapped his controls in silent anger.

" **Those damn Side 7 idiots. What the hell are they thinking?"** Thought Agar as he kept his eyes out for the enemy. **"Did they forget that they lost their home to the Zeons? That the Zeons dropped a colony on Earth, killing millions? And that blue-haired bitch. She's from Side 5. Why doesn't she hate them also? She lost her home and Side by those butchers. I'm surrounded by idiots. Can't wait to get off that ship and join a real Federation unit. Then I can kill Zeon murders without anyone second guessing my actions."** As a small part of his conscious was telling him that he was wrong in his thinking, Scourge suddenly alerted him of a rapidly approaching enemy from below. Acting quickly, he tried to turn and fight, but was immediately grabbed by a clawed hand, lifting him up. As his Guncannon was being lifted up, another clawed hand came and gouged itself into the Guncannon's neck, the sharp claws piercing the thin Luna titanium plating there with ease. Also with ease, the enemy mobile suit pulled out the head like it was nothing and proceeded to aim it's belly guns at the Guncannon's cockpit. As the guns charged up, revealing them to be mega particle cannons, Agar fired his shoulder cannons while also aiming the beam rifle at the Gogg's midsection. The enemy pilot, sensing the danger, ceased his attack and went away as the shoulder cannons fired, disappearing into the dark ocean floor.

"Coward!" Yelled Agar as he tried to pursue, only for another enemy Gogg to appear and slice at the backpack, cutting out their main thrusters. With their main thrust gone, the Guncannon began to fall deeper under water, despite the best attempts of Scourge. As Scourge was telling him that, unless they get help soon, then they'll die from the extreme water pressure in three enough time for help to come and rescue them. Accepting his fate, Agar glared at the two Gogg who were watching him fall to his death.

"If we're going down, then we're taking some of them with us!" Yelled Agar as he aimed his beam rifle at the Goggs. Scourge, agreeing, fired the shoulder cannons while Agar fired the beam rifle. The recoil of the shoulder cannons forced them deeper, but they didn't care. They were already dead anyway. While they hoped that they could take at least one Gogg with them, it wasn't meant to be. Seeing that they were firing, the Goggs swam away, dodging the beam rifle shots, which quickly dissipated due to being underwater, and cannons shots. Eventually, they kept a safe enough distance that none of the Guncannon's weapons can effectively hit them. Slamming his fists at his cockpit in anger, Agar heard the alarms going off as the immense water pressure began to crush his Guncannon's legs. As the pressure began to go up slowly, Agar stayed calm. No way was he going to give the Zeons the satisfaction of him panicking. As he waited for the pressure to crush him, Scourge suddenly informed him of friendlies approaching. Shocked, Agar looked to see, to his surprise and disbelief, the Full Armor Gundam rapidly approaching him, using its replacement backpack to get to Agar before the water pressure can kill him. Zipping past the Goggs, who were shocked to see the Gundam, the Full Armor grabbed the Guncannon and flew upward to get it to safety. Upon recovering, the Goggs, upon seeing their prize, fired torpedos and their mega particle cannons at the two Federation mobile suits. Fortunately, the Vega detected the incoming shots and reacted accordingly, dodging and creating an unpredictable course so that the Goggs couldn't accurately hit them without guessing. Seeing this the Goggs decided to do utilize hand to hand combat and swam at the Gundam, using their thrusters to get there faster. Seeing that they were approaching, the Guncannon fired its beam rifle and shoulder cannons at them, only for the Goggs to dodge them with ease. As the Goggs got closer to the two, they were suddenly bombarded with harpoons, torpedoes, and beam rifle fire. The barrage destroyed one Gogg, but the other escaped just in time. Looking up, he saw a squad of six aqua GMs approaching with three Guncannons. Seeing that it was outnumbered, the Gogg retreated, swimming to safety.

"We'll pursue the Gogg." Said the commander of the GM aquas. "You get your man out of here."

"Roger, thanks." Said Amuro as he neared the surface. Bracing himself, the cockpit shook as the Full Armor burst out of the sea and into dry land. Landing on a dock, Amuro examined Agar's Guncannon and sighed in relief. He made it in time. The water pressure only managed to get the Guncannon's legs. If he delayed for just a few seconds, Agar would be a stain on his crushed cockpit. Contacting the insane pilot, Amuro asked if he was alright.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Said Agar, still shocked that Amuro, who he recently started to dislike, along with the rest of the White Base crew, saved him. "T-t-thanks for saving me." It felt weird saying thanks to Amuro, but Agar knew it was the right thing to do. The boy deserved it.

"No problem, but what the hell were you thinking? You could have died and would have if I didn't come to save you! Do you have a death wish or something, Agar!? Or are you just so caught up with killing Zeons that you neglect your own life?" Gritting his teeth, Agar yelled back.

"If it means that I take one more Zeon bastard to hell, then yeah! It is! I wouldn't expect you to understand! A kid that doesn't know that a soldier's duty is to kill his enemy without remorse and to kill as many as them as possible! That's what you, the White Base, and that traitor Shiro don't get! The Zeons are the enemy and they deserve to be killed! Why can't you see that!" Gritting his teeth in anger, Amuro yelled back.

"You're the one that doesn't get it, Agar!" Yelled Amuro as the rest of the Guncannons made it ashore. "I may not know much about the military, but I do know this! A soldier's job is not to just kill, its to protect his fellow soldier, his nation, and to not lose himself to killing, otherwise he becomes the very thing that he claims to be fighting against! That's what you don't get, Agar, that a soldier's job isn't just to kill. But me, the White Base, and Shiro knew that." With that, Amuro cut the comms and motioned Kai to follow him, who did so silently. As he passed Agar, he silently gave a shaking of his head. Though mobile suits were incapable of displaying motioned, the way Kai shook the head of his Guncannon indicated just how disappointed he was at Agar. As Kai left, Agar's teammates looked at their officer, who simply clenched his controls.

* * *

 **Aqua GMs**

* * *

"Don't let him escape!" Yelled the commander as his squad fired their another volley of torpedoes against the Gogg as it tried to return to its submarine. Though most missed, a few managed to hit the Gogg's backpack, specifically the thrusters. With its main mobility gone, the Gogg turned to face the GMs, firing its mega cannons and torpedoes at them. The GMs, adapted for underwater combat, dodged them all, by either going down or up. Motioning two GMs to take the right and left flank each, the commander and the remaining three charged straight at the Gogg, who couldn't move fast enough to escape. Once they were in range, they fired their harpoon guns at the Gogg. Due to bullets, unless they were designed specifically for underwater use, losing most of their power underwater as well as the fact that beam rifles are still expensive to mass produce along with the fact that beam weapons can easily dissipate underwater unless designed with underwater combat in mind, the GM aquas were equipped with harpoon guns. Though infective in terms of ammo and power compared to the two, the harpoon gun had a trick up its sleeve. As the harpoons stuck out the Gogg's thick armor, having been unable to pierce that armor to kill the pilot, they suddenly exploded. Once the cloud of bubbles went away, the GMs saw that the Gogg's armor had ruptured, creating holes where water was seeping in. With limited time, the other four GMs fired their wrist mounted claw launchers. The claws grabbed onto the Gogg and held it in place. With their prey captured, the GM aquas quickly went to the surface, intending to rescue the enemy pilot so they can interrogate him later. When they reached the surface, the commander had his AI scan the Gogg. Once the AI finished scanning, it gave its report.

" **Sir, I'm sorry to report but the enemy pilot is dead. Scans indicate that he shot himself."** Said the AI. The commander sighed at that.

"Well, that's just haul this thing off to the base. Let the techs rip it apart and find what makes this thing tick." With that the GM aquas hauled the Gogg back to the Belfast base.

* * *

 **Jukon submarine**

* * *

Captain Boone was patiently for captain Char to arrive in the cockpit of his submarine. The intel that his Goggs had sent before their destruction would be what the captain wanted **.**

" **If only they escaped."** Thought Boone as he thought bitterly of his dead men. As he was reminiscing, Char arrived. Standing at attention, Boone spoke.

"Captain, we have confirmation that the Trojan Horse is indeed at Belfast." Said Boone before bringing up a picture of the Full Armor Gundam rescuing a Guncannon. Having received intel that the Gundam was replaced with a far more powerful unit, Char nodded in satisfaction.

"Yes, this definitely confirms it." Said Char, his new found senses, somehow, gave him the idea that the Trojan Horse was indeed at Belfast. "Captain, how many mobile suits do you have left?" Boone, surprised to hear that, replied.

"Three Goggs and one Z'Gok." Said Boone. "Shouldn't we wait until we launch another attack, sir? The enemy has eight mobile suits designed for underwater combat. Not to mention that Gundam." Char just laughed at that.

"I understand your concern and your worry for your men, captain. And this may sound suicidal and petty, but I have to take down that ship and that Gundam down." Char then clenched his fists and adopted a more serious face. "That vile ship and machine butchered my pride." Boone, shocked to hear this, stayed stoic, worried that his men will be caught in the crossfire in Char's plot to get payback. Upon sensing the worry, Char calmed himself down and changed his stance to that of a more traditional commander. "Don't worry, Boone. I'll have a plan in place to ensure that not a lot of your men have to die in what you perceive a mission of vengeance. You have my word." Boone, seeing that the captain saw his emotions, went to a more forceful stance.

"I'll believe it when I see it sir." Said Boone. Char nodded at that, completely understanding Boone.

* * *

 **White Base**

* * *

Agar grunted as Bright slapped him.

"First, you escalate a fight with one of my crew, then you charge head first into the enemy where they have the advantage, also disobeying orders from Revil, and now you're telling me to put Amuro in the brig for not only saving you but talking back after you started the whole shouting match in the first place!?" Yelled Bright as everyone kept their heads down, in fear of being next. Agar just grunted as he looked at Bright. "Lieutenant, you're behavior is starting to get on my nerves along with my crew. Even though you won't stay with us for long, you better start adjusting your attitude or else your stay will be miserable for all parties. Is that understood?" Agar grunted before nodding. "Good, now unless you have something important to discuss, your dismissed." With a salute, Agar left the bridge. Sighing in frustration, Bright slouched in the captain's seat. Worried, Mirai walked over to him.

"You okay, Bright?" Asked Mirai, despite knowing that he wasn't alright.

" ***Sighs*** No, I'm not Mirai. The lieutenant is causing strife in my crew and he'll continue to do so unless he changes his attitude and stops confronting others for opinions that conflict with his." He then pulled back his hair. "It's just frustrating to deal with someone unreasonable. Its times like this that I wish Paolo survived instead of me. Maybe he can command this crew better than I can." It was then that he felt Mirai grab his hand. Looking at her, he was surprised to see the worry in her eyes.

"Bright, don't say things like that." Said Mirai. "You've been a good captain. Paolo would have been proud of you with what you had to endure."

"Even still." Said Bright, still frustrated from his talk with Agar. "I just feel like he could have done better than me. That he could better teach our pilots and discipline that deserve it better than I could." Sighing, Mirai squeezed Bright's arm.

"Stop doubting yourself, Bright." Said Mirai. "Even if Paolo could have done a better job than you, that doesn't mean what you accomplished is anything sort of great. Most of the survivors from Side 7 are still alive, the crew respects and trusts you. You gave them someone to look up to. Someone that they can trust will lead them into battle without wasting their lives. In my eyes at least, you're a great officer and that will never change." Looking at her eyes, Bright nodded in thanks.

"Thank you, Mirai." Said Bright with a small smile. "Your words are appreciated. And you're a good helmswoman. One of the best that I've ever had the pleasure of working with. Once this war is over, I'm sure that you'll find good work with whatever company that requires pilots." Mirai just smiled at that. "Now, let's get back to work." Nodding, Mirai went back to her post, though it wasn't necessary as the White Base was still under repair.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

 **RedRat8- Well he was never going to be command of the mobile suit contingent. After all, he's just staying till Jaburo, then after that, Burning will take over and be in command of everyone. Though, he may give Amuro some advice on how to lead a team. Also, I'll name Agar's team later, maybe next chapter.**

 **As for the amphibious mobile suits, well, the Federation being the Federation, they decided to just be cheap and use the GM as a template for their amphibious units. Look, I get the Federation needs to quickly produce suits for all theaters of war, but they should have made a purpose built machine for underwater combat, rather than taking their GM line and making an underwater variant.**

 **R reyes- Well his attitude is what I get from in the game. In the manga, I know that he joined up with the Titans, only to later leave them in disgust. Hopefully, I'll be able to develop him so that it seems reasonable for him to leave the Titans because this Agar, as of right now, will have no problem with joining those crazies.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- Yeah, I'll change that soon. Nope, the Full Armor's big backpack is the same as in thunderbolt, just without the shield arms. I didn't think it would matter too much when it comes to the design of the backpack.**

 **Thekiller7- Like I said before, some Zeon factions won't even bother with doing that. For example, the Delaz fleet, would consider it an insult to use an AI. To them, it would be dishonorable or cowardly for any of them to have an AI to help them fight as, to their eyes, AIs helped brought their defeat and the Federation would have lost more men if it weren't for them. Now for those that believe in Kycilia more, I have no doubt on them using it. Kycilia has always been a pragmatic, if a bit mental, leader. Never caring about tradition or honor, if it meant she'll be on top. I could see her ordering the experimentation of the Psycommu and AI technologies on the Living dead division, just to get ahead of the curve. That woman is evil.**

 **Guest- Not yet. Though I have seen clips of Gundam NT. I like the animation, but I need watch more to get a feel for the movie.**

* * *

 **Jukon Submarine**

* * *

"Is everyone in place?" Asked Char as he and Boone were observing the Federation base, using a fog to cover their submarine.

"Yes sir. Our amphibious mobile suits are in position and waiting for your orders." Said Boone. Nodding in satisfaction, Char spoke.

"Tell them to proceed when our man gives the signal. We need enough time for the 2nd phase to start." Boone nodded as he relayed the orders. Once he was done, Char spoke again. "You lead a good crew, captain. I'm impressed." Boone nodded in thanks, appreciating that Char knew of his care to his men and respected it. "I know of my reputation with the White Base, captain, but let me assure you that I will not sacrifice your men in vain. In fact, I'll put in a word for you and your men to be shipped off back to Side 3 in the next shuttle." Boone smiled at that.

"Thank you, sir." Said Boone. Though Boone didn't mind being on Earth, he much preferred the confines of a space colony. Earth just had too many insects, unpredictable weathers, and something felt off with the air. He rather spend a day on a climate controlled colony over Earth. "I assure you that my men will accomplish our mission to the best of our abilities."

"I believe it." Said Char with a genuine smile. "I'll be returning back to my submarine. Inform me of any changes to the Trojan horses behavior." Boone nodded and saluted the Red Comet as he went to his boat.

* * *

 **Belfast**

 **Sixty minutes later**

* * *

Miharu Ratokie was peddling by herself when she spotted a man waiting in the spot where she was suppose to go. Taking a deep breath, the young woman stopped near the man and spoke up.

"Excuse me, sir, but are you the person I'm suppose to be meeting with?" Asked Miharu as she brought out a Zeon insignia from her pocket. Widening his eyes in surprise, the man rubbed his neck as he examined the young girl.

"I didn't expect you to be so young." Said the man as he brought out a bag of money. "Here, its full of money." Taking the bag, Miharu felt the bag, satisfied with the weight. "There'll be more on the way soon. More than enough for a whole year." Widening her eyes in shock, Miharu asked why. "Well, it turns out the Trojan Horse, the ship that killed Garma Zabi is here. We want you to sneak aboard the ship and figure out where they're going. If you do this, we'll send the money directly to your home." Miharu opened her mouth to speak, but closed it.

"But, I'll have to leave my brother and sister." Said Miharu, thinking about her little brother and sister, the reasons why she was spying on the Federation for the Zeons. She couldn't get a job because of her lack of skills and the Federation wasn't interested in recruiting a young woman like her in their ranks. Not that the pay was any good anyway. "They'll be all alone and I can't abandon them." The man sighed at that, completely understanding her stance.

"I get what your saying kid. Unfortunately, my CO was pretty adamant on it. If you don't do this, then I'm afraid that we don't need your services anymore." Miharu widened her eyes upon hearing that.

"You can't! I need this to support my siblings! I can't find a good paying job anywhere here." Yelled Miharu.

"Then you better do this." Said the man as he brought out a bag. "In here is a Federation uniform. You can use it to sneak onto the Trojan Horse." Miharu bit her lip as she looked at the bag. Sighing to herself, she took it. She couldn't believe that she had to do this, but if it means that she can feed her siblings, then she was all for it, albeit reluctantly.

"Alright, but how do I get onto the ship?" Asked Miharu.

"We have everything planned. Don't you worry. Just get inside that ship. Also, here." Said the man as he brought out a larger bag of money. Blinking in confusion, Miharu grabbed it.

"Payment in advance?" Asked Miharu.

"Eh, not exactly." Said the man before two more men arrived. "You see, we have another task for you right now." As the men got closer, Miharu felt a pit grow in her stomach.

* * *

 **Kai**

* * *

"This stinks." Complained Kai as he walked through the ruins of Belfast. The carnage was great, despite the Zeon mobile suits only sticking around on land for half an hour. He could see people picking up rumble, looking for missing friends or valuables. Sighing, he wondered why he was even doing here in this part of the city. All he wanted was to take a walk, away from the ship. He cared for them, in his own way, but he wanted a breath of fresh air. So, after getting permission from Bright, Kai donned his civilian clothes and took a walk. As he passed a crying kid and his parents, he wondered what the heck he's going to do after the war. He could always remain in the military. The pay was fine enough and he get to stick around the crew for a while longer. He thought it over for a few minutes, but soon the thought of staying went away. There was no way he was staying in the military any longer than he had to. Though the Zeons are in the wrong with how they're conducting the war, there was no excuse for the Federation with how they handled the colonies prior to the start of the war. Many considered the rebellion an inevitability with how poorly the Federation has done governing the colonies in terms of representation, response to criminal activities, and corruption in their ranks. Until the Federation changed, there was no way he was staying in the military. With a career in the military out of the way, he wondered what he could do. He had a license for handling heavy vehicles so maybe he could get a job in construction. As he was walking, he heard the screams of a girl. Upon hearing the screams, he ran to the source. What he found made his blood boil. Two men were ganging up on a girl, kicking her while she was down. No willing to be a by stander for this, Kai brought out the gun he kept on his person and fired in the air, getting everyone's attention. Upon seeing the gun, the men immediately backed off, running away. Putting away his gun, Kai rushed to the girl, who was holding her cheek.

"You okay?" Asked Kai as he helped the girl up. Nodding her head, she smiled at the Kai. Finding the smile a bit cute, Kai looked at her. All in all, she wasn't too damaged. He must have arrived just as the beating started.

"I'll live and they didn't do any permanent damage. Thank you." Said the girl. Nodding his head, Kai looked at the girl. She had long red hair that was kept in two buns and blue eyes. She wore an old blue shirt and red pants. Overall, she was fairly attractive, despite the plain clothes she was wearing.

"Its no problem." Said Kai. "Why did those men attack you?" The girl then sighed before going over to an overturned bike. Picking it up, she grabbed a small bag. Upon hearing some metallic noise coming from it, Kai guessed it was money.

"I had a successful day in selling food to people. They must have been jealous of it because they came out of nowhere and demanded the money I earned today. When I refused they got mad and you can guess the rest." Kai nodded in understanding.

"Damn. Is it hard to find work around here?" Asked Kai, surprised to hear this sort of thing happening in a city like Belfast. He knew that Earth wasn't a paradise, despite the claims of Earthnoids, but he thought they could provide enough for the people living in cities.

"Well, unless you're looking to join the Federation military, then yes. People are struggling to find good jobs here." Said the girl, honestly. Sighing, Kai looked at her.

"Look, I don't doubt those men will come back for you, so how about I escort you to your home." Offered Kai. Surprised to hear that, the girl smiled.

"Your very kind to offer, sir." Said the girl before walking away. "Come on! My home isn't too far." Nodding his head, Kai followed the girl as they left for her home. Unbeknownst to him, the two men from before saw him following her and nodded to each other.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Miharu's home**

* * *

"So, you're name is Miharu Ratokie, huh? That's a pretty nice name." Said Kai as he looked at the girl as she helped her little brother, named Jill, with eating a rather tough bread. After helping him, Miharu looked at Kai.

"That's kind of you, Mr. Kai." Said Miharu as she went back to eating her own food, which wasn't much, just a piece of bread along with some water. Seeing the portion for the three siblings, made Kai frown. There wasn't enough food on the plates for them to get through the day and he doubted they eat more in the morning. "Most people would jeer at us for our names. You're the first in a long time to not do so."

"Eh." Said Kai, acting his usual self. "I can think of better things to insult people with than their names. Trust me." He then looked at the little sister, Milly, who looked at him with a bit suspicion, as if distrusting him. Ignoring it, he looked back at Miharu. "So, I take it your parents are…" Miharu nodded sadly, adopting a sad look. "I'm sorry. During the war?"

" ***Sighs*** You're correct on that, Mr. Kai." Said Miharu. "A few months ago, the Zeons launched a missile attack on the Federation presence here. Their base was relatively unscathed, but the city wasn't as fortunate. Several missiles hit several buildings, one of which had our parents in them." Her eyes started to tear up as she remembered how heart broken she was and how much she had to comfort her crying brother and sister. Frowning a bit at seeing the tears coming down, Kai looked to see the brother and sister crying a bit too.

" **Tragedies of war."** Thought Kai solemnly. **"To see it now its..."** Kai knew that people were hurting from the war, he saw it firsthand in that refugee camp that Amuro's mom was stationed in, but to see it coming from people so young and barely able to defend themselves. Its heart wrenching, even for someone was pessimistic like Kai. Giving them a moment to pray for their parents, Kai changed the topic.

"So, you get money from selling product, right?" Asked Kai. Wiping her eyes, Miharu nodded.

"That's right, its all freshly grown and made in the region. It took some time, along with much trial and error, but I can make a delicious sandwich. The locals can testify to that. Its not much, but its keeping us afloat."

"Buts its not like a real job." Said Kai. Miharu nodded.

"Yes, its taking all the money I earn just to keep us from starving. We just can't earn enough to get my siblings an education. I'm worried about them." Kai looked at the kids, who were nodding sadly.

"Its okay, big sis." Said Jill, trying to get Miharu's spirit up. "We don't need to go to school to get smart. We have you to teach us." Miharu smiled, but it was one full of sadness.

"But its not good enough." Said Miharu. "I had to drop school to take care of you two. I don't even have a high school diploma. We're fine now, but we'll be in big trouble when you two grow older." As the siblings talked about education, Kai, excused himself. Though it was rather rude of him to be looking through his hostess's house, Kai had a suspicion that something was wrong. Though Miharu and her siblings were nice enough, Kai couldn't help but feel that there was more going on than Miharu was letting on. Going to Miharu's basket, which she claimed she used to hold the products she sells, he lifted what few goods there were and saw a gun along with two bags. One he knew contained the money that Miharu made today, but he didn't know about the other. The gun he could guess was for self-defense, something that caused Kai to frown. Young girl like Miharu, who was probably in her early twenties, has to have a gun in case people try to rob her for her earnings. And if she killed one of them with it, he could tell that the girl would break down. Sighing quietly to himself, he touched the other bag, noticing that it was significantly bigger than the other. Touching it, he felt that it was filled with money. That caused him to frown.

" **Shouldn't be her savings. She seems to be too smart for that."** Thought Kai as he moved his hand away from the basket, not wanting to be caught rummaging through Miharu's stuff. **"So what's the deal with the bigger bag?"** Not wanting to be caught, Kai went over to the couch and pretended to fall asleep. **"The others shouldn't mind if I'm at a stranger's home. I said I'll be back tonight."**

* * *

 **White Base**

 **Agar**

* * *

"Can you fix it in time for another Zeon attack?" Asked Agar as he watched the engineers work on the replacement parts for his Guncannon. Al looked at him from his work and replied.

"Yeah. Give us a few hours, and we'll have this thing as good as new." Said Al. "But I have to ask, what the hell were you thinking? Going up against amphibious mobile suits in their own turf with a mobile suit that is shit in the water. What was going on in your noggin when you went in?" Agar just gritted his teeth before leaving. Shaking his head, Al went back to work. "Damn idiot." As Al went to work, Agar stopped walking and looked at Amuro having a nice chat with Chan Agi, likely over the Gundam. Clenching his fists lightly, Agar tried to ignore the anger he felt at Amuro. The humiliation he felt when the boy yelled at his, claiming his ideals were wrong, after he saved him. He wanted to completely hate him. To think he's just as worse as the Zeons, but he couldn't. He just couldn't. He didn't know why, he did it so well with Shiro and others who thought the Zeons were in the right, at least cause wise. But he just couldn't do it with Amuro.

" **Why can't I?"** Thought Agar as he looked at the Amuro and Chan talking, only to be interrupted when Chan giggled over something while Amuro had a smile on his face. He wanted to yelled at them, but refrained, finding it distasteful. **"Is it because he saved my life? His past tragedies? Or is it a part of me believing in his words?"** It could also be a combination of all three. The kid, despite the danger of doing so, saved him and his partner from death, even if it left him vulnerable to the Goggs. Sure, he had the other Guncannons and those new GMs, but Agar knew that, even in the most ideal of circumstances, one should never expose themselves to the enemy for too long, lest they lose their lives. Even if it meant that they'll yell and argue with each other, Amuro still saved him. A part of him was saying it was because he did it so he can be a hero. Someone the others can look up to. The other part of him, however, told him that theory was completely wrong. Amuro, for what he can gather, wasn't one that wanted to be looked up to. He just wanted to protect his allies and friends, even if it put his own life on the line or if he doesn't like them. That was something that Agar can respect. **"But that doesn't change the fact that he's wrong. The Zeons are monsters. All of them. And they'll prove it later on. Mark my words."** With that, Agar went to back to his Guncannon, hoping to speak to Scourge. As he walked, however, he felt a very small part of him screaming at him.

* * *

 **Kai**

* * *

"He's asleep." Said Miharu upon looking at Kai's sleeping form. Smiling at bit at him, she went over to her basket, got out the money, and gave it to her siblings. "You two know what to do with this, right." The two nodded.

"Don't worry, big sis." Said Jill with a reassuring smile. "We'll be extra careful while you're gone." Miharu smiled before looking at her sister, who was looking at the floor, a bit mad. Knowing what it was about, Miharu embraced her little sister.

"Don't you worry about me, Milly. I promise I'll be safe." Milly just cried while hugging her sister.

"I don't want you to go." Said Milly as Miharu hugged back while bringing her brother in.

"I know." Said Miharu, trying to stay strong for her siblings. "But its something that I have to do." After a few minutes she let go and looked at them. "Be strong, you two. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." With that, Miharu went upstairs to get ready for her mission. After half an hour, she came back down in a Federation uniform. Going over to her siblings, she gave them each a kiss good bye before grabbing her gun and leaving the home. Once she was gone, the two siblings looked at Kai.

"Should we ask him to leave once he wakes up or should we wake him up." Said Milly, looking at Kai, unsure of what to do. Jill was about to suggest something when his stomach growled. As if in tandem, Milly's stomach also growled. Looking at each other, the two went to get a small snack. When they were gone, Kai's eyes opened up.

" **So, Miharu is a Zeon spy."** Thought Kai as he got up. Unbeknownst to the trio, Kai was merely pretending to sleep, having mastered it during his time in Side 7, and spied on them with both eyes, opened just enough for him to see what they were doing. Straightening his jacket, he thought of what was going on or, at least, what he thought was likely happening with the Ratokies. The Zeons, hungry of intel on the Federation base here, must have enticed Miharu, who was desperate for money, with cash to get her to spy on the Federation. And now, based from what he saw, it seemed that they forced Miharu to sneak aboard the White Base with promises of even more money. It disgusted Kai that the Zeons were using the desperation of people to their own advantages. He thought he knew the depths of their depravity, with their gassing of a colony then using it as a weapon on Earth, then the stunt with the nuke, but to see them now using the economic hardships of people to get intel on the Federation…well, he can see why Agar had such a hatred for the Zeons. After smoothing his jacket, he took off, but not before leaving all his spare money on the table, finding that the little kids will have a better use of it then him. When the two kids came back to the living room, they couldn't find Kai anywhere. In his stead was around fifty dollars worth of money.

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

"Have to catch, Miharu." Said Kai as he ran to the Federation base. "Have to stop her from doing this crazy stunt." He was running down a hill when suddenly alarms rang out. Stopping a bit, he looked at the ocean to see missiles coming down on the town.

" **Damnit!"** Thought Kai as he resumed running to the Federation base, hoping to get in his Guncannon. **"They must be using the attack to allow Miharu to get in the White Base undetected."** As Kai ran, eventually hitting a road, he saw more missiles bombarding the town and the Federation base. Gritting his teeth at the unfocused barrage, Kai nearly missed the motorcycle coming in his view until he saw the headlight. Smirking, he got in the middle of the road and brought out his military ID.

"Stop!" Yelled Kai. Seeing the man, the motorcyclist stopped a few feet in front of Kai. "I'm with the military! I need to confiscate your motorcycle!" The man looked like he was about to protest, but Kai wasn't having any of it. "I'm a mobile suit pilot, man! Unless I get in my mobile suit now, more people are going to die! So, unless you want the deaths of several dozen people in your mind, give me that bike! You can get it from the military base here!" Seeing that he had no choice, the man got off. Wasting no time, Kai got on and turned the back around to the city. As he was passing the former owner of the motorcycle, Kai could have sworn he heard him yell out that he was a typical Federation lacky. Ignoring that comment, Kai drove the motorcycle to his destination, ignoring all the missile impacts and explosions. As he drove, he saw the Aqua GMs from before running to the shores and getting ready to disembark to the sea. As he watched them jump into the ocean to face the enemy, Kai saw the core booster flying toward the ocean as well, likely trying to attack whatever Zeon forces were out there. Behind it, was the Gundam and all the Guncannons, including his.

" **Great. That means I have to take the Guntank."** Thought Kai. " **Hope they finished fixing it."** As he tried to remember how to pilot the Guntank, he almost missed the missile coming at him. Fortunately, it whizzed past his head and impacted a few hundred feet away. Unfortunately, the blast still took him off the motorcycle. Without its driver, the bike went out of control until it hit the ocean. **"Well that guy is going to kill me. Ah well, not as if I'm planning on being any longer. Have to run now though."** Getting up with a grunt, and after checking for any injuries, he ran the rest of the way.

* * *

 **Few minutes later**

* * *

"Watch out!" Yelled the GM aqua commander as a Gogg came in and tackled a GM aqua, sending both deeper into the ocean. The commander was about to go and rescue his fellow soldier when an explosion went off in the direction the two mobile suits went, with his AI informing him that the GM was destroyed. Sighing, the commander moved on and saw the rest of his men holding their ground, if not winning against their opponents. It seemed that the enemy was a bit short on mobile suits as there were only three Goggs and one Z'Gok, another amphibious mobile suit. The Z'Gok, fortunately, went off to face the Gundam when it went underwater, leaving the Goggs to handle the GMs. Acting quickly, the commander brought out his beam pick and charged at a Gogg that dodged a volley of torpedoes. Upon dodging, the Gogg charged at the two GMs that it was fighting. Seeing the Gogg coming at them, one GM continued to fire at it with its harpoon gun while the other charged in with its beam pick, which was essentially a beam saber designed for underwater combat, just a bit shorter than the regular version in order for it to work underwater. Going under the Gogg, the GM with the pick aimed at one of the mega particle cannons. Unfortunately, the Gogg saw this, and fired its cannons at the GM, who was forced to dodge out of the way, losing a leg in the process. The other GM, meanwhile, fired it two torpedoes at the Gogg, who fired its own torpedoes in retaliation. As the torpedoes collided with each other, the GM from before came up behind the Gogg and tried to stab the head. This, however, was caught by the Zeon pilot who slammed the back of the Gogg at the GM, disorientating the Federation pilot. Turning quickly, the Gogg jammed its nails into arm that held the beam pick. It then ripped the arm off its socket before proceeding to gut the GM by aiming for the torso, killing the pilot. As the Gogg pushed the GM out of its claws, its backpack was peppered with harpoons, which then exploded taking out its main propulsion systems. Turning around, it saw the other GM coming in and stabbing its beam pick at the Gogg's eye before pushing it deeper into the ocean and firing its last torpedoes. Without its backpack, the Gogg couldn't dodge the torpedoes, resulting in its destruction. With its opponent gone and nearly out of ammo, the surviving GM returned back to the surface, its purpose done.

The others, however, weren't as lucky. The 3rd Gogg managed to rip a large chuck of one GM's upper torso, forcing the pilot to head to the surface lest he drown from the sea water pouring into his suit, and took out of the legs of the other before going down when a harpoon pierced the Gogg thick armor in the torso area and exploded, killing the pilot. Unfortunately, the other GM, aside from the commander, had only two torpedoes left and a beam pick. So, after meeting up with the commander of the GM squad, he informed him of the situation.

"Stay with me then, corporal." Said the commander as the two looked around for the final Gogg. "There's still one left. Muck, inform the White Base's mobile suits that we need assistance."

" **Already sent sir. They should respond shortly. In the meantime I'm scanning for the Gogg, sir. I'm not detecting any rapid movement. Its either planning to ambush us or is waiting for an opportunity to strike."**

"Regardless, keep an eye on our surroundings. I don't want to be taken by surprise." The AI gave its acknowledgement before going back to monitoring their surroundings. The two GMs, meanwhile, stood alert, ready for when the Gogg comes. "Corporal Reeves, what ammo do you have?"

"Two torpedoes and a beam pick, sir." Said the corporal. "I don't have much to use." The commander nodded.

"Alright, stay sharp. He might go below us." Said the commander. Reeves just nodded as the he held the trigger for his torpedoes. The two waited a few more minutes before the AI detected movement.

" **Incoming target from below!"** Looking down, the two GMs saw the Gogg coming at them with claws at the ready. Firing his harpoon gun, the commander charged at the Gogg, beam pick in hand. Glaring menacingly at the approaching GM, the Gogg extended its claws out, ready to tear the GM apart. As the harpoons hit the Gogg's head and exploded, damaging the optics, the Gogg kept charging, despite the damage. When they neared each other, the Gogg went up, over the GM and fired its mega cannons. Fortunately, the GM's AI reacted in time and used the GM's boosters to get away before turning around. The commander then fired his torpedoes while throwing the beam pick at the Gogg's eyes. Undeterred and on its last legs, the Gogg kept coming and swiped at the GM. It sliced a bit of the armor on the torso, but not enough to force the commander to retreat to the surface. Kicking the Gogg away, the GM fell back as two torpedoes impacted the Gogg's back, finally destroying it. Looking at his subordinate, the commander gave his congratulations before ordering the man to retreat to the surface, their job done. Now it was up to the Gundam to take the last Zeon mobile suit down.

* * *

 **Amuro**

* * *

Amuro grunted as he dodged a claw swipe from the Z'Gok before firing his beam gun at it, who backed off to dodge before coming back, launching a barrage of missiles in the process. Dodging the unguided missiles with ease, Amuro returned fire with the beam gun, only to watch as the Z'Gok move away to see the beam dissipate before their eyes, despite the power of the Full Armor's twin beam gun. As if taunting Amuro, the Z'Gok's eye glowed a bit before swimming rapidly away before swimming away to the abyss of the sea.

" **Damn."** Thought Amuro as he looked at the radar again. " **This guy is toying with us."** This was the third time that the Z'Gok has did this. For the duration of the battle, the two mobile suits have played a deadly game of cat and mouse. The Z'Gok, using its superior speed in water, played circles around the Gundam, firing its mega cannons at the Gundam or going in with its claws, using the sharpened claws to damage the Gundam's armor, hoping to damage it enough that it can kill the pilot and drag the mobile suit to the Zeon submarines. The Gundam, however, wasn't making it easy. With Vega making the necessary adjustments and Amuro piloting skills, the two were able to hold the Z'Gok at bay from doing significant damage to the Gundam, though it did manage to slice an eye off from the Gundam and dig a hole in one of the legs. In return, they managed to destroy one leg when the Z'Gok got too close. With all the Zeon mobile suits occupied, Ryu was able to take the fight to the Zeon's submarines. From what he's been informed, Ryu found one and destroyed it and that the GMs have taken out the Goggs, albeit with heavy casualties. **"Just got to take this one out. If only he'll stay and fight."** Checking their systems, Amuro saw that everything was fine. Aside from the Gundam's vision being impaired from the damaged eye, they were fine. Though Amuro knew that they're blind on the right, something that the Z'Gok can use to its advantage.

"Vega, keep an eye on that side." Said Amuro as he checked everywhere. "He could try to get to us on that flank."

" **Affirmative. Though without the right camera, my ability to detect the enemy is limited. Especially with the amount of Minovsky particles in the area. Might I also recommend that we end this quickly? The Full Armor was not designed to fight underwater and our enemy is. We should…"** Vega couldn't say anymore when the Z'Gok moved rapidly at them from their blind side, firing its mega cannons, which were placed on the palms of its claws. Detecting the incoming beams, Vega activated the boosters and flew them away from the beams while also going up. As the beams hit their legs, tearing them apart at the knee down, the Z'Gok suddenly went faster, the sudden speed boost caught both AI and pilot off, leaving them wide open for the Z'Gok to tackle them. Banging his head on his seat from the sudden acceleration, Amuro went for his controls. Once he grabbed them, the Gundam grabbed one of the beam sabers stored on the large backpack. He was about to stab it when they hit a wall, slightly disorientating Amuro. Shaking his head, Amuro saw the Z'Gok coming back at them and slamming head first into the cockpit before stabbing the Gundam in the head and the cockpit. Before it could dig deeper, the right arm of the Gundam came and japed the beam saber it was holding at the Z'Gok's eye before igniting. Having lost the main camera, the Zeon pilot went into shock, giving Amuro and Vega the thing they needed to push the Z'Gok away and fly to the surface.

"We need to get out of here Vega!" Yelled Amuro as he saw water coming into the cockpit.

" **Affirmative. The Guncannons and Guntank are on standby. Should the Z'Gok come after us, they'll be ready."** Nodding in confirmation, Amuro looked down to see the Z'Gok was coming after them. Despite the damages it took, the Z'Gok was willing to face the Gundam again, even if it means it has to be on the surface. Seeing this, Amuro informed the Guncannons of this and to prepare to shoot it down when it came up. After giving them those orders, Amuro diverted more power into the thrusters, giving them enough thrust to create some distance with the Z'Gok, who retaliated with a barrage of missiles. Firing the beam rifle at those missiles, the Gundam kept going back to the surface, where the Guncannons and a just arrived Guntank were waiting. After a few more seconds, the Gundam burst out of the water and onto dry land, water pouring out of its battle scars. Getting out of the way of the other mobile suits, the Gundam watched as the Z'Gok burst out of the water, only to be blasted apart by four Guncannons and a Guntank. As the wrecked mobile suit fell down into the ocean before exploding, the Core booster arrived, going back to the White Base.

"Ryu here!" Yelled Ryu as he flew the core booster back to base. "Got two enemy submarines with a 3rd that got away. Should I pursue?"

"Negative Ryu." Said Bright. "The enemy is pulling back. They must have exhausted their missiles reserve or are baiting you into following them. Pull back. You're out of anti-submarine weapons anyway."

"Understood. Returning to base."

"Amuro here. We're returning to the ship as well. Have the engineering teams on standby. Those amphibious mobile suits did a number on the Gundam." Breaking off comms with Bright, Amuro looked at the Guntank. "Is Kai in there?"

"You got it." Said Kai as his voice echoed in everyone's comm links. "Sorry about being late for the battle. Was tending to a local family after I helped out the eldest of the bunch when the explosions happened. I'll tell you about it later."

"You better." Said Agar, refraining from yelling, knowing that it will only get him into trouble. With that, the mobile suits went back to the White Base.

* * *

 **Few hours later**

* * *

"White Base, this is air control. You're free to go." Said an air control operator, who watched as the White Base took off. Watching as his ship took off, Bright looked straight ahead.

"Alright, people, next stop is Jaburo." Said Bright as his ship moved to their designation. As everyone went on their business, Bright snuck a look at Sayla, who was manning her post. The two haven't spoke since their last meeting and Sayla has made it a habit of avoiding him. The fact that she did so, convinced him that she was indeed who he believed she was. The only question is, how was he going to make her confess it to him openly. And what will he do once he got that confession? And will they still have a good working relation after this? Moving on, Bright thought of what Kai had reported to him. Apparently, the Zeons had a spy in Belfast, one that they ordered to sneak aboard the White Base so that they relay the ship's location to the enemy. Kai had given him a detailed description of what he believed to be the spy. After giving the description to Carmine, the man informed him that, should they encounter her, they'll bring her over to Bright. Its been several hours since then, and Bright worried that if this spy, if she truly was on the ship, remained on the ship all the way to their destination, she may be able to divulge to the Zeons a hidden entrance to Jaburo. They needed to find her. And fast.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- Well, like I said, Federation is cheap. Though I do question why the heck they didn't bother building one after the war. It shouldn't have costed that much.**

 **Also I'm fine with having super robot elements in Gundam, I did enjoy those elements in the clips of Narrative. I'm just annoyed New types went from just having heightened senses and whatnot to essentially have magic powers. Though I suppose this was a way for them to go off the rocker since F91 has no New types or mention of Psychframe in it. So I guessed they went all out. A little to far if you ask me, but I think Narrative was a decent enough movie.**

 **That being said, Narrative, and Unicorn as well, has fully convinced me that New types and the Psyco-Frame came from aliens and nothing is convincing me otherwise. I don't care if the cannon explanation is that Neo-Zeon made the Psycho-Frame, the stuff that tech had done is beyond the technology of humans in the UC timeline.**

 **RedRat8- Well, disappointedly, this chapter will be the last one that features underwater combat as, after Jaburo, the White Base is going back to space. I just hope I do the challenge justice in this chapter.**

 **Also I get what you're saying. I never understood it. You think the Navy, the one that works in Earth's water not the space one, would devout resources to making a dedicated amphibious mobile suit, but they never did. I know most resources went to the space forces, but seriously, devout what you have to make a amphibious mobile suit, water navy.**

 **R reyes- She going to die (Yeah, I'm cruel).**

 **UGCO- Yes. During the stay on Jaburo, they'll be a chapter dedicated to Shiro fighting the last Apsalus, along with some chapters dedicated to other aces of the Federation. Same with Aina after the war.**

* * *

 **White Base**

* * *

"You checked everywhere?" Asked Carmine as he and Ramirez spoke. They were currently searching for the supposed spy that managed to sneak aboard their ship during the previous battle. Though it was unlikely that a spy managed to get in, Bright wasn't taking any chances and neither was Carmine.

"I checked everywhere, sir." Said Ramirez. "Stratton is looking into the mess hall, but I doubt that the spy is there."

"Well keep searching, if there really is a spy onboard, we have to find them. They can't reveal any of the entrances to Jaburo to the enemy." Ramirez nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's check the food storage areas. The spy may have hid in one of them." With that the two left for the crew quarters. After a few seconds a door near them opened, revealing Miharu, the spy that they were looking for. Sighing in relief, the woman got out of the room that she was in and to another section of the ship, preferably one that the soldiers have already checked.

" **I should have expected that they figured out that a spy was on board."** Thought Miharu as she ventured into the mysterious halls of the Trojan Horse, desperately hoping that she can find a room she can hide in. After a few minutes she found a series of doorways, making her believe that this was where the crew slept in. Seeing that this was her chance to hide, Miharu tried to open every door, hoping to hide in one of them, only for reveal each door was locked. As she tried the fifth door, she heard footsteps. Panicking, she scrambled to find an unlocked room. If she was caught now, she'll be brought to the bridge, where the captain of this ship will, no doubt, lock her up, and send her away to a military prison for spying, thus separating her from her brother and sister for a long time, if not forever. That was something that cannot happen. Steeling herself, she finally found an unlocked room and went inside. Sighing in relief, she wandered around, trying to keep herself calm.

" **Its going to be alright, Miharu."** Thought the young woman as she thought of her predicament. After calming down, she thought of what to do next. **"Okay, I doubt that any important documents or notes will be in one of the crew's quartets. So, the next step is to get to the captain's quarters. If I can find it of course."** Deciding to wait until the guards have stopped looking for her, Miharu went to a corner and waited, praying that they'll stop searching soon.

* * *

 **Few hours later**

* * *

"Alright, I'm going to take a quick nap. Tell Bright for me Hayato." Said Kai before taking off, causing Hayato to sighed before walking to the bridge. Humming to himself, Kai opened the door to his room and walked in, usually leaving the door unlocked because he doubted anyone will take what few things he had when he left Side 7. He was about to go to his bed and got to sleep when he heard a dull thud. Stopping himself, he looked around. Remembering that Miharu may have gotten onboard, Kai searched his room.

" **She may be here, hiding from the soldiers."** Thought Kai as he looked around. " **I do tend to leave this unlocked, after all."** After searching everywhere and not finding her anywhere, Kai decided to look under his desk. Upon looking there, he found Miharu, holding a gun. Smirking, he raised his hands in surrender.

"I wouldn't shoot that." Said Kai as Miharu looked at Kai in shock, surprised to see him here. "Cause that'll just alert the guards and everyone else on this ship." He then brought out his hand. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." Trusting Kai, Miharu grabbed his hand and got out of the desk. Once she was up, she bowed.

"I'm surprised to see you on this ship, Kai." Said Miharu with a small smile, happy to see a friendly face. "I suspected you were in the military, but I didn't think you were a crewman of this ship." Kai just shrugged.

"Yeah, well, the more you know. Anyway, you can tell me the whole truth. I know you're working with the Zeons. I pieced it all together. The Zeons launched an attack on the base, allowing you to get in the White Base undetected. And once the battle is over and the White Base is out in the skies again, you'll transmit its location to a Zeon submarine force that's waiting to take it out when its most vulnerable. Am I warm?" Upon hearing all that, Miharu looked at Kai in disbelief before sighing.

"You're a smart one, Kai." Said Miharu with sadness in her eyes. "I'm truly sorry, but I had to do this. They offered so much money to me in exchange for doing this. I couldn't find work anywhere else. No one was willing to hire or afford to pay me. So I took the job of a spy to support my siblings. I hope you understand." Looking at her in pity, Kai nodded his head.

"I get ya." Said Kai. "I had to survive on my own for quite a while too, after my parents died." Miharu gasped upon hearing that before looking at Kai in sympathy.

"So you understand why I'm doing this." Kai nodded in confirmation. "Then you'll understand that I have to…" Before she could finish, Kai put his hand on her gun while holding up his other hand.

"Whoa, no need to do that!" Said Kai. "You can stay in my room. I won't tell anyone." Upon hearing that, Miharu widened her eyes in confusion and disbelief. "Yeah, I know what I said. That'll be essentially treason, but I can't let you be arrested for doing something that you would have never done if you could have helped it. Besides, not like you have anyway to contact the Zeons. Bridge crew will catch the signal and jam it before you could reveal anything of importance. That will also lead them to catching you as they can pinpoint the signal. So, for the sake of your siblings, I advise you not to do anything stupid." Kai then let go of Miharu before going to the door. Before he went to the handle, he looked at her. 'The code is 67432, just in case you need to use the restroom, which is on the far end of the hall on the left. I'll be back with lunch. Just you wait here." With that Kai opened the door and left. Just in time too as Miharu was about to tell him thank you. Once Kai was gone, Miharu smiled softly.

" **Kai."** Thought Miharu. **"Thank you. You're a good man. And a far better person than I could ever be."** If she was in his position, she would have told on the spy and that would be that, even if she could sympathize with them. But not Kai. He's not only risking his career in the military, but he's willing to help her out just because of her situation. She didn't know if that was stupid or brave of him. Nevertheless, it earned him her respect and admiration.

* * *

 **Agar**

 **Mess hall**

* * *

Agar was picking his food while his teammates were chowing down. As much as Agar wanted to dine in, he found he couldn't, his appetite has simply disappeared. He didn't know exactly why, but he had a thought of why. He was too busy in thought to bother eating and the reason why was because he was thinking of Amuro and what he said to him back at Belfast. He didn't know why it was bothering him so much. He would have yelled and pushed any that tried to steer him from his views that weren't a high ranking officer. But Amuro, something about him caused him to dwell on his words. Maybe it was due to his experience with the Zeons and him not viewing them as monsters despite all they did to him. Or maybe it was because he had the stones to yell at him, telling him to change his views. His behavior must have been distracting as his teammates spoke to him.

"You alright, lieutenant?" Asked Chris, a tall man with brown hair and eyes. The two haven't been together much, but Agar trusted him completely along with his other teammate, a blond-haired man named Leon. "You've been picking at your food for the past ten minutes. Something on your mind?"

"Yeah." Said Agar. "It's the words of the Gundam pilot, Amuro Ray. Its about what he said to me after he saved me from those amphibious mobile suits." Chris and Leon nodded. They remembered what Amuro had said to him after Agar told them the story. Though they had to pick apart some of the bias from Agar, they eventually figured out that Amuro yelled at him for his views on the Zeons.

"What about them that are bothering you?" Asked Leon, the blue-eyed man swirling his drink. Like Chris, Leon hadn't been under Agar's command for long, but he trusted him to get him out alive. "You usually don't let that stuff bother you. What's so special this time?"

"Probably has to due with the fact that it was a kid that yelled at him." Said Chris, causing Agar to shrug to signify that he didn't know. Sighing, Chris looked at Agar. "What's wrong? Talking about it can help." Clenching his fists, Agar spoke up.

"A part of me wants to punch the kid to submission for thinking he could yell at a superior officer, but another part of me wants to ponder on his words. I don't get it." Said Agar, frustration in his voice. "I don't get why he doesn't hate the Zeons. I mean, they destroyed his home, constantly try to kill him and his friends, and have violated the Antarctic treaty. Yet, despite all that, he still sees them as people. What's up with that?" Looking at each other, the two pilots nodded.

"Agar, I think we should have a talk." Said Chris, bracing himself for the amount of yelling that Agar will do.

"Talk about what?" Asked Agar, not liking where this was going. Leon sighed before speaking.

"Chris and I believe that Amuro is right." Widening his eyes, Agar was speechless that his teammates were taking Amuro's side. Before he could yell at them, Chris spoke up.

"We're not saying that your wrong in your belief that the Zeons are evil scum. Some of them are clearly are. But to extend that to the entire nation? That's going too far. Every organization, even ones that history claims to be the most evil, have their good people and people that just want to serve their nation, no matter how despicable their actions are." Leon nodded.

"Let's not forget that this whole war started because of representation and the Federation's poor management of colony affairs. I'm a Federation man, through and through, but I'm not going to deny that the Federation has its fair share of problems." Chris nodded, agreeing with Leon. "That's something that I think you need to realize Agar. Every organization has its own problems, some just have their problems easier to understand than others."

"I'm not denying that the Federation has its problems." Said Agar angrily, but not as much as the two copilots thought he would have. "But the Zeons started this war, shot just three seconds after declaring war, and caused so much death. How can't I hate them? The people they killed deserve retribution and I'm going to deliver it to them."

"We're not saying it isn't right to hate them." Said Leon. "I hate them for what they did to Side 5 and the colony drop on Earth, Agar, but I don't let that hatred control me. I'll gladly kill any Zeon soldier that tries to kill us, but I draw the line at killing their citizens or using my hatred of them to justify my actions against them. Will you do that Agar? Kill Zeons citizens or torture Zeon prisoners as retribution for those that died? Cause I think they'll be disgusted with such acts. Because your attitude with the Zeons gives me that impression." Agar opened his mouth to speak but found that he couldn't say anything. Closing his mouth, he thought of what Leon said.

" **Would I really do that?"** Thought Agar as he looked at his food. **"Will I really kill civilians just because they're Zeons? Or even kill and torture prisoners of war"** He wasn't going to deny that he heard of some Federation soldiers doing that. He was disgusted at them for doing such acts, claiming that such acts were unbecoming of a soldier. But here was his teammates, clamming that his attitude was giving them the impression that he was willing to do such acts. He was a hurt a bit at that claim, even angry, but it also made him ponder. Was he actually capable of doing harm to civilians? People that he claimed to keep from harm at any costs. It was possible. He always had a terrible temper. All it took was for one to push his buttons and he'll do something that he'll regret. It happened before with a cadet that pushed his buttons. Whose to say that it won't happen with a POW or a Zeon citizen. Sighing to himself, he looked at his teammates.

"Do I really give off that impression?" Asked Agar, surprising the two.

"Yeah." Said Chris with a nod. "You really do. Your stunt at Belfast pretty much confirmed it." Looking at his food, Agar got up, his appetite gone.

"I'm leaving for my quarters." Said Agar. "I need to think." With that, he was gone.

"Think we did good?" Asked Chris, looking at Leon who nodded.

"We did good." Said Leon before going back to eating.

 **Few hours later**

"Mr. Bright." Said Marker. "We're detecting an aircraft approaching us. Its leaking fuel." Upon hearing that, Bright looked at Marker.

"Enemy aircraft?" Asked Bright.

"Negative. It's a civilian airplane." Said Oscar. "What should we do?" Humming to himself, Bright turned to look at Sayla.

"Sayla, radio them. Tell them that they're clear to dock in the central hanger." Nodding, Sayla proceeded to contact the aircraft. As she did so, Bright thought of this aircraft.

" **What's a civilian aircraft doing all the way out here?"** Thought Bright. **"I heard there was a fishing guild in the area, but they don't venture off anymore because of Zeon submarines. We'll tend to them but we need to be on guard."**

* * *

 **Few minutes later**

 **Kai's Room**

* * *

Miharu was humming to herself when her wrist-mounted comm unit, a gift from the Zeon forces, beeped. Looking around and finding no one spying on her, she answered the call.

"This is captain Boone. Pecking duck, are you there?" Asked Boone in the safe confines of a bathroom. Remembering the name of the Zeon captain that hired her, Miharu spoke the code word.

"This is pecking duck, the sun never sets on the righteous." Hearing that, Boone spoke up.

"Good work in remaining undetected." Said Boone. "Have you determined where the Trojan Horse is going?"

"Yes sir." Said Miharu. "I overheard some guards talking about Jaburo and what they're doing when they land there. It seems that the Trojan Horse is going to Jaburo." Boone smiled at that. That was perfect. If they were going to Jaburo, then they were near where captain Char was. Not only did Char was a full complement of amphibious mobile suits at his disposal, eight Z'Goks, he also had a prototype mobile armor. He only heard the name of it, the Braw Bro, but he knew that, because if was a mobile armor, it had the firepower needed to take on a warship on its own. And with the communication link that Miharu had, they can use it to trace the Trojan Horse.

" **This is my chance to avenge my men."** Thought Boone. All he had to do was convince Char to lend him the mobile armor.

"Good work." Said Boone, going back to the spy. "I'll be sure that you get paid handsomely and that you'll be given safe passage back to Belfast." She, after all, deserved it if she managed to survive his attack on the White Base.

"Thank you, sir." Said Miharu. "Will you still pay me for information?"

"Of course." Lied Boone. Much as he distasted it, he can't pay her anymore on orders from Zeon ground high command. The intel they got from Belfast, which was an unimportant base to begin with, was shoddy at best. And now that the Federation is beginning to retake their territory, they couldn't afford to pay Miharu anymore. Every cent they had was going to war production or the R&D labs. "I can't stay any longer. Good bye and take care of yourself." With that Boone ended the call. Just in time to as Kai came back with a tray of food.

"Here." Said Kai, placing the food on his desk. "You must be starving." Looking at the tray of food, Miharu thanked Kai before dining down. Never in a long time had she seen so much food being given to her. She only got a loaf of bread in order to save money. And now she had a tray of food that can actually satisfy her hunger. After she was done, Kai looked amused.

"Must have been the first real meal you had in a long time." Said Kai as he looked at the tray, which was picked clean. Miharu blushed at that.

"I'm sorry." Said Miharu. "I just couldn't help myself." Kai just raised his hand.

"Nah. Its fine." Said Kai with a wave of his hand. "I can understand. I would do the same thing too if I only had bread for so long. I don't know what I do without chicken for a month. I go ballistics." Miharu giggled at that. "So, how did the Zeons get you to spy for them?" Deciding that it won't hurt to tell him, Miharu complied.

"Well, it was around two months ago. A Zeon submarine fleet was stationed near Belfast. They contacted me to spy on them. I don't know how they singled by out, but I wager they've been spying on Belfast for quite a while, maybe even after the Antarctic treaty was signed. In exchange for giving them information on the Federation base in Belfast, they gave me money. They've been the major source of income for my siblings and I." Kai nodded.

"It doesn't bother you that the Zeons will use the information to make people orphans?" asked Kai, serious. Sighing, she looked at the ground.

"It does." Said Miharu. "Every day, I question myself if I should continue spying for the Zeons. I also ask myself if my intel will get someone killed. That it'll create more orphans, like my siblings and I. I sometimes wake up and night, sweating and screaming. The images of people blaming me for causing their deaths. For causing their children to be orphans or without mothers or fathers. Its almost enough for me to run at the Zeons and tell them that the deals off. That I can't do it anymore." She then grasped her hair. "But then I worry that, if I do, they'll kill me because I knew too much, leaving my brother and sister to fend for themselves. They're kids, Kai. They won't survive for long in this world. Even if they don't kill me, I'm not earning enough money from selling food to people to feed myself and my siblings. I just…" Kai saw tears flowing down. "Don't know what to do." Letting her cry, Kai looked elsewhere.

" **Damn conscience."** Thought Kai as looked at Miharu's crying form. Seeing her cry made him realize she was in a very tough spot. If she didn't continue to spy for the Zeons, she'll starve along with her siblings. But if she continues, she'll have a guilty conscious for the rest of her life, never knowing that her intel will get people killed and create more orphans. The old Kai would have told her to just grow up and just ignore her conscience. But that was before he meet the White Base crew. Before he made friends with Amuro, Hayato, Chan, Ryu, and Fraw. They were people he could rely on and trust, far more than the friends he had on Side 7. They taught him the importance of being there when one was low and comforting them to ensure that they get back up, something that he never had after his parents died. Sighing to himself, he sat next to Miharu and spoke up after she was done crying.

"Look." Said Kai, seeing Miharu wiping a few tears from her face. "I'm not good at this type of stuff, but I'll give it a go. I'm not going to justify what you did, saying that it was for the good of your family or what not. You just did what you had to do to survive. And that's what important at the end of the day. Life is cruel. It doesn't care if you're good or evil. It just cares if you survive or not. I mean, morality is good and all. Helps you sleep at night, that's for sure. But like I said, life is cruel." He then rubbed his head. "I won't blame you for doing something that calls for you to do something like this to protect and feed the ones you love. In your shoes, I probably would have done the same thing. I mean, they gave you a situation where its either you and your family dying or a bunch of people that you don't know. Its cruel, but…well I'm not going to say it a third time." Miharu just smiled at Kai.

"You are bad at cheering people up." Said Miharu, causing Kai to chuckle a bit. "Still, I appreciate the effort. Thank you."

"Anytime." Said Kai. "If you get caught, I'll vouch for you. I don't care if it'll get me court-martialed or something. Wasn't planning to be in the military for much longer anyway." Miharu nodded gratefully at Kai. Before she could speak, the ship suddenly shook, sending the two crashing into the floor.

"The hell!" Yelled Kai as the two got up. Alarms then rang out. "Crud. The Zeons! Look Miharu, stay here! I got to go defend the White Base!" With that Kai got out the room and to the hanger, leaving Miharu alone. Once she was alone, she looked down on the ground.

"I did this." Said Miharu, solemnly. "I told them where the ship was going and all these people are going to die." She was about to cry again when she stopped herself. "No! I'm not going to cry again. I'm going to make things right. Its not like the Zeons can know that she helped the Federation anyway." Getting out of Kai's room, she tried to find the hanger bays when she spotted a group of kids being escorted by a young girl. Seeing the little kids, made Miharu widen her eyes in shock before they gave away to determination.

" **If there are kids here, then I have to help. I won't let kids die or be prisoners of war."** Thought Miharu before going over to the girl, hoping that she won't suspect she's a spy.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Gundam**

* * *

"Brace yourselves!" Yelled Amuro before a barrage of four missiles hit the underbelly of the ship. The armor held but it was starting to crack from the barrage as well as the one before.

"Amuro! The ship can't take another hit! We need you to attack the one responsible for the attack and take care of it!" Said Sayla as she contacted him.

"Roger that!" Yelled Amuro. "How many mobile suits are out there?"

"According to Ryu, at least two. Our gunners and the other mobile suits will take them from the ship. Just focus on the enemy that's launching the missiles."

"Alright." Said Amuro before taking off to the ocean. Upon hitting the water, Amuro spotted a large submarine coming at him. Widening his eyes, he hit the thrusters and flied up to the air. Acting quickly, he fired a blast from his beam rifle, only for the submarine to quickly move out of the way in time.

 **"Amuro, I just scanned the enemy weapon. It has an AMBAC system installed. That means its using mobile suit technology."** Said Vega, having scanned the enemy ship quickly when they spotted it. Upon hearing that, Amuro narrowed his eyes.

"And if its using mobile suit technology, then it must be that new weapon that Revil spoke about. The one called Mobile Armor." Gritting his teeth, he asked what weapons the mobile armor had.

" **I only have a brief scan, but it appears that it only has surface missile launchers, claws, and some torpedo launhers. It seems that this mobile armor wasn't designed for mobile suit vs. mobile armor combat."** Said Vega. That caused some relief to Amuro, but not by much. It could still kill them if the pilot was good enough. Plus, there was still the two mobile suits out there backing it up. As if on que, two Z'Goks arrived to help support the enemy mobile armor.

"Ryu, we have a mobile armor here along with at least two Z'Goks!" Yelled Amuro as the Gundam went to fight the Z'Goks while keeping an eye on the mobile armor. "I'm outgunned here! I need support!"

"Got it!" Yelled Ryu as he piloted the core booster where fighting had just occurred. "I'm loaded up with anti-sub weapons! Just stay clear and I'll bring the hurt to them! The White Base is also launching the Gunperry to help! It should be out soon!"

"Got it! I'll try to…" He couldn't say anymore when a 3rd Z'Gok came out of nowhere and grabbed the Gundam, holding it in place. Seeing the trapped Gundam, the two other Z'Goks charged in with their nails, planning to skewer the Gundam. Gritting his teeth, Amuro had the Gundam head but the Z'Gok. The impact didn't do much, but it did allow the Gundam to point its large backpack at the Z'Gok, which allowed Amuro to blast it. The thrust from the thrusters melted the Z'Gok's armor and cooked the pilot alive long before the cockpit melted. As the down Z'Gok let go of the Gundam, Amuro aimed the beam rifle and fired at one of the approaching Z'Goks, destroying it as it was close enough that the beam rifle could still penetrate the armor. The other wisely backed off and kept out of the effective range of the Gundam's beam rifle, taking potshots with its mega particle guns. Dodging out of the way before the Z'Gok could fire, the Gundam got closer, knowing that its weapons were less effective under water. As it closed in, it was about to stab the Z'Gok with a beam saber when alarm rang out in the cockpit. Going under, Amuro saw a barrage of torpedoes flying past them. Turning around, the pilot and AI saw the mobile armor was now focusing on them instead of the ship.

" **Okay, both are focused on us, that's good."** Thought Amuro as he ran away, forcing the mobile armor and mobile suit to give chase. It was only because of the Gundam's large backpack was it able to outpace the two in their home environment. Adopting a zig-zag flight pattern to prevent them from accurately hitting the Gundam, the Gundam fired back with its two beam weapons. Ignoring the shots as the beam shots dissipated before they could get close, the Z'Gok fired its beam weapons while the mobile armor fired its torpedoes. Dodging those missiles and mega particle blasts, the Gundam returned fire.

"Ryu! I'm leading them away from the White Base! I need assistance now!" Said Amuro as he dodged another barrage. One mega blast managed to glance the armor of the right leg, taking a small chuck, but no significant damage was gone to the Gundam.

"Roger. On my way!" Yelled Ryu as he made his approach. As he approached, he saw the Gunperry arrive from the central hanger. Contacting the Gunperry, Ryu asked them to assist him with taking out the enemy.

"Ryu, its Kai!" Yelled Kai as he piloted the Gunperry. "We got some high yield missiles here! Just give us the go and we'll send those suits sky high!"

"Got it! I'll go in first. You stay back and see if you can't hit the mobile armor. I'll take care of the mobile suits with Amuro!"

"You got it!" Yelled Kai before cutting the comms. He then looked at Miharu, who was sitting next to him. "I can't believe I allowed you to come with me. Are you sure you're okay with doing this? You don't have to." Miharu shook her head.

"There's children on this ship Kai. I cannot allow them to die here, far from their parents." Before Kai could comment that any children on the White Base were orphans, a barrage of missiles came out from the sea and straight towards them and the core booster. The core booster manage to get out of the way of the initial wave, but was forced to pull away as a missile went to pursue the core booster. The other went straight for the Gunperry. "Holy shit!" Kai dived down in order the dodge the missile, which simply followed them. Seeing that the missile was getting closer, Kai dived deeper to the ocean and accelerated the Gunperry to its top speed. Seeing this, Miharu looked at Kai as if he was insane.

"Are you trying to get us killed?!" Yelled Miharu as the water got closer.

"Trust me!" Yelled Kai as he kept going to the water, where he saw flashes of light coming from the combatants underwater. "I know what I'm doing!" Looking at their attitude, he saw that they were a thousand meters from the water. **"Gotta get closer."** At 700 hundred meters, Miharu began to sweat and clench her hands tightly. At 500, she was shaking. At 300, she started to scream. At 200, she was about to wrench the controls from Kai when he suddenly pulled up. With under a hundred meters to spare, Kai managed to pull the Gunperry back to the air with the missile now gone, having hit the ocean instead. "Alright, that's how you do it!" He then looked at Miharu, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?" Chuckling nervously, she nodded.

"Never do that again." Said Miharu as she tried to steady herself.

"No guarantees." Said Kai with a smirk. "Now you got to shake it off, you got to aim the warheads at the mobile armor. It's the perfect target of us. If you don't then those kids and the people on the White Base will perish." Nodding again, Miharu shook her head before inhaling.

"Okay." Said Miharu. "Just show me what to do and I'll do it." Nodding his head, Kai then told her what to do to fire the missiles. It only took under a minute and once Kai was done telling her what to do, she was ready to fire the missiles. With his gunner ready, Kai piloted the Gunperry to where the Gundam's signal was. It was there that they'll find the mobile armor. Sure enough, they spotted flashes coming underwater and rapid movement. That meant the battle was still going on.

"Alright." Said Kai as he got ready. "I'm diving down to get you an angle. Be careful, we only got two shots so make them count." Nodding, Miharu waited for the big dark spot in the ocean, which had to be the mobile armor, to appear in her targeting computers. With everything done on her head, Kai contacted Ryu. "Ryu, I'm going in. Cover me!" With that, Kai dived down to give Miharu an angle. Waiting for the big spot to appear directly in the middle like Kai said, pressed a button when the middle of the spot appeared over the targeting dot, launching a missile. Pulling up to prevent them from counter attacking, Kai watched as an explosion occurred underwater.

"Did we get it?" Asked Miharu as the explosion subsided. Seeing no debris coming to the surface, Kai assumed that they missed. Before Kai could say anything, a Z'Gok appeared from the ocean and flew toward the Gunperry, using its thrusters to get close. Shocked to see the Z'Gok, Kai turned the Gunperry in time for the Z'Gok to miss the cockpit with its claws. Unfortunately, as it was going past the airship, the Z'Gok aimed and fired a missile at the Gunperry, hitting the side armor. Before it could launch another missile, a beam shot pierced the Z'Gok, causing it to explode. Whizzing past the explosion, Ryu contacted the Gunperry.

"Kai, is everything under control!" Asked Ryu as he saw smoke coming from the Gunperry.

"Course not!" Yelled Kai as his controls went haywire from both the missile and the explosion. "This ship is barely holding together. I got to turn back soon!"

"Pull back now!" Yelled Ryu. "Amuro and I can handle the mobile armor!"

"No way!" Yelled Kai. "I'm staying. I still have one missile left. If it hits, it'll all be over for that thing!"

"God damnit, you block head! If you die, then everyone will miss you!" Yelled Ryu, trying to convince Kai to return to the White Base.

"And everyone will die if I don't stay!" As the two bickered, Miharu noticed something was wrong in the hanger of the Gunperry. Looking at a video screen showcasing the hanger, her heart stopped when she saw fire starting to spread in the hanger, approaching the last missile. If the fire get close enough to cause the missile to detonate, then Kai and her will both die. Turning to Kai, she informed him of the situation, after slapping him to get his attention, of course. Seeing the problem, he informed Ryu, who swore out loud.

"Get rid of that thing!" Yelled Ryu. "That thing can go off any second!" Nodding, Kai pressed the button that'll launch the missile, but found, to his horror, the missile was stuck in its rack, not to mention armed. If they didn't get it unstuck before the fire. "Damnit! I'm going to the hanger. Got to get that thing unstuck!" Looking at Kai in shock, Miharu protested.

"But the shockwaves will push you to the ocean, Kai! You'll fall to your death." Protested Miharu. Giving her a small smirk, Kai shrugged.

"Well, that's life for ya! Cruel, ain't it!" Said Kai. "Tell the other's that it was an honor working with them. And tell Amuro to start taking Chan out to a date. God knows what will happen if I'm not there to push him to do it. You'll know the two when you see them. Can't miss them. And Miharu." Kai looked directly at her while pulling off his helmet. "Live for your siblings. You deserve to live more than an asshole like me." With that said, he was about to take off when Miharu grabbed him and kissed him on the lips. Widening his eyes in shock, Kai was about to push her off when she grabbed his head and banged it on the wall. Temporarily dazed, Kai couldn't do anything as Miharu ran out the door and locked him inside, having shot the door controls with her pistol. Shaking his head, he ran at the door only to see Miharu's form leaving. "No!" Yelled Kai as he tried to open the door, only for it to not budged. Slamming his fists at the door, he ran to the emergency gun at the cockpit, grabbed it from its case, and loaded it. Flipping the safety off, he fired a shot at the window, only for the bullet to be absorbed by the bullet proof glass. Firing all his bullets at the glass, he threw his gun in frustration and walked over to the driver seat, knowing that he can't do anything to stop Miharu.

Slumping in his chair in defeat, he watched in the security camera Miharu running valiantly to the missile, holding her sleeve to her mouth to prevent her from inhaling any smoke as by that time, the fire had turned into a wild fire. Approaching the missile, she looked at the direction of the security camera and smiled. It was a smile of sadness and acceptances. Clenching his fists, Kai saluted Miharu as she went over to the rack in front of the missile, just below the warhead, and started to get it unstuck. After ten seconds, she was finished and she walked over to the missile rack's manual controls. By this time the fire was near her and the missile. If she didn't launch it now, then they both die. Five seconds passed, and a plume of smoke engulfed the entire hanger, obscuring the camera. Kai didn't need it to know that Miharu was dead. Closing his eyes, he slammed his fist into the controls, not caring that he could damage his only way to the White Base.

" **Should have been me."** Thought Kai as he thought of Miharu and her death. **"I'm a soldier and she's just a civilian that was forced into being a spy. Plus, she had siblings, little siblings to take care of. I don't have anyone. Why the hell am I still breathing!?"** Despite his self-loathing, Kai didn't want Miharu's sacrifice to be in vain. So, he piloted the Gunperry to the White Base, where the told them to get fire extinguishers ready and to get an engineer to get him out of the cockpit.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Sometime Ago**

 **Amuro**

* * *

" **Incoming missile!"** Yelled Vega as a missile impacted near the mobile armor, rattling it and giving them an opening. Seizing the opportunity, Amuro charged at the mobile armor. The Z'Gok was going to the surface to deal with the source of the missile, leaving the mobile armor wide open. Closing in, Amuro fired a burst from his beam rifle before going for a stab in the eye. Unfortunately, the proved to be a mistake. Enduring the blasts from the beam rifle, the mobile armor reached out for the Gundam, using both claws while also firing its torpedoes in tandem. Amuro managed to dodge the first claw and Vega managed to shoot the torpedoes with the beam weapons, but the 2nd claw managed to grab them in the leg. Drawing them in closer, the mobile armor grabbed them with the 1st claw, clenching them on the torso. Once the claw was secured on the torso, the claw holding the leg, pulled it out, ripping it from the Gundam's body. Trying to get away, Amuro grabbed two beam sabers and tried to cut through the mobile armor's thick claws. He had nearly cut through when the mobile armor began to squeeze the suit while also grabbing the Gundam with its other claw and lifting it above its body. The Luna Titanium held for a time, but soon the pressure from the claw began to cause cracks to show in the torso, allowing water to leak inside. Gritting his teeth, Amuro tried to position the Gundam to fire at the mobile armor with its back-mounted beam cannon but was unable to do so. The grip the mobile armor had on the Gundam was simply to strong for the Gundam to break free from. As water began to leak in the cockpit, Amuro felt fear of dying rush to his system, but he kept it back. If he was going down, he was going to do it without showing his fear openly. Fortunately, luck was on his side as a missile came and exploded on the middle of the mobile armor, creating a large hole and allowing water to flow into it. The pilot must have been shocked as the mobile armor soon let go of the Gundam, allowing it to move freely again.

" **This is our chance!"** Thought Amuro as he fired everything he had on the mobile armor, both missiles and beam weapons, all of which was aimed at the eye. As the beams carved their way through the body of the mobile armor, the missiles detonated inside, using the pathways created by the beams to navigate in. As explosion occurred in the mobile armor, the Gundam was already making its way to the surface. It reemerged from the water just as the mobile armor exploded. Sighing, he looked at his cockpit, seeing water above his ankle.

"Vega, contact the engineers. Tell them that the cockpit has some water in it." Said Amuro.

" **Affirmative."** Said Vega. **"Should I inform you that I just received word that one of our own has died?"** Upon hearing that, Amuro sighed in sadness. He honestly should have expected that. To be honest, he was surprised it was only one.

"Who was it?" Asked Amuro, clenching his fists.

" **I have no idea."** Said Vega, causing Amuro to blink. That was odd. Vega had the dossier of everyone on the ship, including Agar and his team. They didn't get anyone from Belfast, so who died?

"What do you mean?" Asked Amuro as he piloted the Gundam back to the hanger.

" **I mean that, the description of the woman that died doesn't match the dossier of anyone on the ship. The only explanations that I have for this is that we acquired a new crewmember and I wasn't informed, a stowaway made it onboard, or a Zeon spy made it in during the chaos in Belfast."** Said Vega. **"We'll know more when we approach Kai. He claims the casualty was his co-pilot."**

" **Oh Kai."** Thought Amuro as the Gundam landed. **"What happened?"**

* * *

 **Later**

* * *

"So, you mean to tell me that you not only allowed her to stay in your room, despite knowing she was a spy for the Zeons, you allowed her to help you on the last battle?" Asked Bright as he interrogated Kai, who had come clean after the battle. The fact that Kai didn't inform him was enough to warrant him to slap him, but upon seeing the tears in his eyes and the regret made Bright stay his hand. It was obvious to him that he was friends with the girl or at least knew more about her than Bright did.

"Yes, sir." Said Kai. "I want it on record that I don't regret helping her, Bright. She was forced to spy on the Zeons, after all. She needed the money that they provided her. She wouldn't have spied on them if she had a job that provided good money for her and her siblings." Bright nodded at that, nothing that part was mentioned a great deal in Kai's confession. Though it was a noble goal and something that Bright could understand, that didn't justify the fact that Kai knowingly helped an enemy spy give away their location and possibly given her secret military secrets, though he doubted Kai would do such a thing. Sighing, he looked at Mirai and Carmine, wanting their advice.

Carmine was on the same boat as him. Though he understood the girl's plight, they couldn't let Kai get away with helping an enemy spy. After hearing that he helped the spy, Carmine wanted to arrest the boy, send him to the brig and issue a court-martial, but after hearing the full story, Carmine stayed his hand. Though it appears the man wanted to still put him in the brig, he wasn't so inclined to court-martial Kai anymore, especially after how the girl sacrificed herself to save Kai from dying and, inadvertently saving Amuro as well.

Mirai, on the other hand, wanted to let Kai go, though she understood the need to discipline Kai for this. Upon hearing the story of the girl and how Kai found her, she was lenient on Kai's punishment. She suggested they just put Kai in the brig until they arrived in Jaburo. From there, they let him go off with a warning.

Seeing the consensus was just to put Kai in the brig, Bright sighed and informed Kai of such.

"You'll be placed in the brig for the rest of the trip to Jaburo Kai." Said Bright. "You're lucky that this Miharu had given her life to save you, Amuro, and the entire crew. And that she appeared to regret her actions of spying for the Zeons, but me assure you, if this happens again, it's a court-martial for you." Kai nodded at that.

"I understand, sir." Said Kai, showing no regret in helping Miharu. Sighing again, he motioned for Carmine to take Kai away. Once the two were away, Bright looked at Mirai.

"Let's keep this off the records." Said Bright, knowing full well the other Federation officers won't take kindly to Kai's little stunt. Mirai nodded, agreeing with Bright. Though she was disappointed with Kai's actions, putting the welfare of one girl and her family over the entire crew, she knew he did it out of the kindness of his heart. Something that's rare to find nowadays.

"I understand, Bright." Said Mirai. "Still, I can't help but wonder if we were a traditional military ship."

"If that was the case, then Kai would be sent to the brig and sentenced to an execution." Said Bright. That caused Mirai to glare at him in annoyance, causing him to cough. "But in all seriousness, he's lucky I'm in charge. Any normal officer would have court-martialed him." Mirai smiled at that.

"That's why I like you, Bright." Said Mirai. "You have the will of a soldier to do what must be done, but its tempered by your kind heart. Its rare to find people like you in high positions in the military."

"That's because the military needs officers that don't let their kind hearts to get in the way of must be done." Said Bright, looking down. "A part of me still feels like I should be court-martialing Kai for this and informing the Federation, but another doesn't. I don't know what to make of it." Mirai placed her hand on Bright's hand.

"Tell me about it." Said Mirai. "Its hard being in the military, especially in a high-ranking position, like a ship captain. You're forced to do things that others will think is harsh and maybe even unfair. People will think you're an unfair and cruel officer, but in reality, you're just doing your job. To do the things that those people can't do themselves. And you have to burden their hate and dislike as a result." Bright nodded in agreement at that. "Well, if it helps your conscience, I don't hate you for doing what needs to be done. So long as they're in reason, of course." Bright smiled at that, grateful for having Mirai around.

"I'll try to be reasonable, Mirai. Thank you." Said Bright before getting up. "Let's go. We still have a few hours before we arrive in Jaburo." Nodding, Mirai followed Bright to the bridge.

* * *

 **Okay, the next chapter or the chapter after that I might needs some help in regards to Federation ship numbers. It's stated in the wiki (the Gundam fandom wiki) that the Federation had seventeen thousand warships at its disposal, which is an insane amount of ships. I don't care if Zeon had Minovsky particles and mobile suits, the Federation should have been able to steamroll them if they had even a fifth of that many warships during the One Year War. Now granted, the wiki states this number was throughout the Universal Century, but given the One Year War was started at the height of the Federation's power, which was around the year 0079, and given that Federation forces started at around 0020, that means they had to have at least a third of that number during the One Year war. I suppose I could go with Origin numbers, but then we had that scene in Stardust (the one where Gato fired a nuke at the Federation assembly) that showed a lot of Federation ships. So, I'm kind of at a lost of how many ships I should give both sides.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

 **RedRat 8- Good numbers. I'll think on it more. I should have the numbers in the next chapter for both factions. As for Miharu's siblings, I'll reveal their fate in another story.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- Oh definitely. Some people will hate him for it, others understand and be sympathetic, while others will not care and agree with him. Nonetheless, they'll let it slide when it comes to battle. Though Bright and other officers will keep an eye on Kai because of his actions.**

 **Guest- A good explanation. Not having enough forces will result in criminals becoming more powerful and more opportunistic. And thats not good for any citizen.**

* * *

 **White Base**

 **Ten minutes until arrival to Jaburo**

 **Mess hall**

* * *

"Can you believe what Kai did?" Asked a random White Base crewmember as he, Amuro, Chan, Hayato, Ryu, Fraw, and a few others were eating at the mess hall for their dinner. When news of Kai's assistance of a Zeon spy, Bright telling everyone so that rumors would not pop up as well as forcing everyone to keep this from high command, reactions varied. Some could understand Kai's choice, especially after hearing the spy's reasoning for spying on the Federation. Others were disgusted. The rest were unsure of what to think. "I mean, on one hand, he helped a spy and should be punished, but on the other…" The others nodded.

"I can't blame him for helping that girl out." Said Ryu. He was hurt and angry with Kai's assistance of a spy, but he couldn't help but be sympathetic with the spy's reasoning. "But he needs to be held accountable for his actions and face the consequences."

"But does that mean a court martial?" Asked Fraw. She didn't want Kai to be sent to jail for helping out a girl that was pressured to work for the Zeons. He did it out of the kindness of his heart. In her eyes, Kai didn't deserve to be arrested for doing so.

"He doesn't deserve a court martial." Said Hayato, agreeing with Fraw and her views, to an extent. "But he does need to be punished for betraying the crew. I know he didn't reveal any military secrets, but he did assist the Zeons, even if it was the goodness of his heart."

"Yeah." Said another crew member. "Maybe two weeks or less is good enough of a punishment? I mean, its lighter than what any normal officer would have given him." As the others debated on Kai's punishment, Amuro was deep in thought, having told everyone that he didn't want to put his word on the matter. He was far too conflicted to put in anything of value into the argument. On one hand, he was angry, like a few others, that Kai helped a Zeon spy. Did he forget that the spy could lead the Zeons to Jaburo, thus giving them a location to focus their attack on should they decide to launch an attack on the underground mega fortress, give the Zeons important intel on the White Base and its mobile suits, or be deceiving him, giving him a sob story that would get his sympathy and make him help her out of pity. But on the other, after finding out what she did for them, as well as saving his life and Vega, he couldn't be too angry with Kai. From what Vega told him, if the final missile hadn't been launched from the Gunperry, they would have died. And since the spy gave her life to launch it, the cameras from the Gunperry being proof of this, he couldn't help but be grateful to the spy. There was also the fact that, if the spy's story of being forced to work for the Zeons or else have her siblings starve to death was true, he would have helped her out too if he was the one that found her instead of Kai. Because of that, he removed himself from the conversation. That didn't mean, he wasn't listening in on the other's opinions on the matter. Some wanted Kai to be set free with no charges while the rest wanted him to have some sort of punishment for helping a spy, but not one where he be court-martialed. As the arguments went back and forth, Chan placed a hand on Amuro's shoulder.

"Not going to partake in this?" Asked Chan. Blinking in surprise, Amuro nodded his head in confirmation.

"I wouldn't add much to the conversation." Said Amuro. "I'm pretty much conflicted on what to think is the right course of action for Kai and his actions." Nodding in understanding, Chan leaned forward so only Amuro can hear her whispers. Having heard what went on exactly from Vega, Chan could understand Amuro completely. After all, being saved by a spy that was supposed to be working against your faction, would certainly make you conflicted on how you should feel about them and to anyone that helped them, especially if said assistants had an understandable reason to help them.

"I'm pretty much on the same boat, though you have a better reason than me." Said Chan. Looking at her in surprise, Amuro quickly looked at the others, seeing that they're distracted, before looking back at Chan.

"What do you mean?" Asked Amuro. Chan sighed before explaining.

"Well, if what Bright said is true, I can't help but not be angry at the spy, nor at Kai for helping her." Said Chan. "The Zeons basically left her no choice. It either help them and feed her siblings at the cost of other people's lives or not and watch your siblings slowly starve to death. I can't blame her for her choice, nor Kai for helping her. Her story, if true, is hard to neglect by any morally good person." Amuro nodded at that, completely agreeing with Chan at that. He was sure nearly everyone, aside from Carmine and his men, would have helped her out. Whether out of naivety or their own morals preventing them from turning her in.

"I know it'll get me in trouble, but…I think I would have done the same thing as Kai." Chan smiled in understanding at that.

"Same." Said Chan. "Its tough being a morally good person while in the military, isn't it?" Amuro nodded at that as well. "Going to see Kai, after this?"

"Yeah." Said Amuro, eating the last of his food. "Gundam is currently being repaired by Al and Isaac, so I don't have anything to do. Want to join?" Chan nodded at that. After finishing their food, the two left for the brig. Upon noticing Amuro and Chan, Fraw puffed her cheeks up, jealously in her.

"You okay, Fraw?" Asked Hayato, catching her jealous glance.

"Fine." Said Fraw briskly, causing Hayato to blink in surprise. Shaking his head, Ryu coughed into his fist before speaking.

"Moving on, I think that the kids will be out of the ship once we land on Jaburo." Upon hearing that, Fraw and Hayato looked at Ryu in shock.

"You're serious?" Asked Fraw, distraught. Ryu nodded at that.

"Unfortunately, I am." Said Ryu, keeping stoic. "There's a small branch of Federation officers that are taking care of war orphans in Jaburo. Once we land, I have no doubt that kids will be dropped there when we take off to continue the fight against the Zeons." Upon hearing that, Fraw shook her head, unbelieving that they have to do that.

"But we can't." Said Fraw. "The kids. They're all we have after their parents died. Just ripping them away from us just because they're kids and dumping them with a bunch of strangers…it isn't right." Ryu sighed at that.

"I completely get your position Fraw." Said Ryu. Indeed, he did. Out of all of them, Fraw spent the most time with the kids. Feeding them, tending to their needs, and playing with them. She became almost like their mother in a sense, even if she was just a teenager. "But I'm afraid we have no choice on the matter. They've seen too much combat already and it'll be criminal for us to let them see more combat just because we don't want to send them away."

"But Ryu." Said Hayato. "It'll be worse if we drop them off with strangers. They'll be scared and worried for us. They might cause trouble for the officers if we leave them all alone to fend for themselves. They'll feel betrayed by us. Ryu, we can't let them go." Fraw nodded her head in agreement. Ryu sighed as everyone else began to scoot away, not wanting to be involved in this conversation. He couldn't blame them. No one in the crew wanted to let the kids go, but it was safer for them, even if they'll hate it.

"Look, guys, I don't want to do this either, but have to for their own safety." Upon hearing that, Fraw slammed her hands on the table, startling everyone.

"If you care for their safety you wouldn't be sending them away!" Yelled Fraw before storming off.

"Fraw!" Yelled Hayato before chasing after her. With them gone, Ryu sighed to himself again.

" **Me and my big mouth."** Thought Ryu as he looked at his food, having lost his appetite.

* * *

 **Brig**

* * *

"Kai, you in there?" Asked Amuro as he and Chan knocked on one of the cells.

"Yup." Said Kai as he laid on the cot. Upon hearing his voice, Amuro inputted the code given to him by the guard, allowing him and Chan to enter.

"How are you doing?" Asked Amuro as the two entered. "The guards haven't been treating you badly, right?"

"I'm fine." Said Kai, looking at the ceiling. "Here to yell at me? A few others have done that."

"We're not here to do that." Said Chan as the two looked at Kai, a bit angry at what Kai had said. Were people really that upset with Kai's decision? "We're here to see if you're alright." Giving a grunt of acknowledgment, Kai got up to look at the two.

"Well, thanks for dropping in, but its really not needed. I just…want to be alone." Sensing that he was hurt, Chan sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Kai, it's okay. You can tell us. We won't judge you for your actions." Said Chan with a sympathetic smile. Looking at the smile caused Kai to sigh.

"It's not fair." Said Kai, looking at the floor, clasping his hands together tightly. "I'm a soldier, well I was recently made one, but still. It's my job to sacrifice myself so that people like Miharu, the civilian turned spy, won't do it. So, they can live with their families, start their own, and to do better than those that sacrificed themselves." Kai then began to crunch his face in an effort to stop the tears. "But no. Miharu was the one that sacrificed herself, leaving her little brother and sister to fend for themselves and make me feel ashamed to be the one that's alive and not her. Its just not right." As the tears feel down, Chan grabbed Kai's shoulders and brought him into a hug.

"There, there, Kai." Said Chan, hugging him tightly. "Its okay. Just let it all out. Let it all out." As Kai continued to cry at Chan's shoulder, she looked at Amuro, who sat on the other side of Kai and held his shoulder.

"Life is cruel, isn't it Kai." Said Amuro. "Even though I'm grateful for Miharu saving my life, I can't help but wish she didn't sacrifice herself to save me and Vega." After a few more seconds, Kai stopped and rubbed his eyes hard.

"Yeah." Said Kai, his eyes bloodshot from crying. "Life is cruel. It makes the people that are willing to die and have nothing to lose live while making those that don't want to die and have a lot to lose die. It's a cruel bitch, isn't it?" Chan and Amuro nodded their heads in agreement.

"Yeah." Said Amuro. "But we have to carry on. We can't let Miharu's sacrifice be in vain Kai. She wouldn't want us to be moping about who should have died and who shouldn't have. She wouldn't have made her sacrifice otherwise." Chan nodded.

"He's right." Said Chan. "If what you say about this Miharu is true, she would have wanted you to live on and to protect the crew of the White Base. She would have wanted you to start your own family and to protect the crew of the White Base to the best of your abilities, so that the others can go back to their remaining families or to start their own. Even if its at the cost of her own." She then looked at Kai with a small smile. "So, stop mopping about Miharu and honor her sacrifice. If she was here, I'm sure she would slap you up to get you on your feet. In fact, I'm pretty sure she would be offended with you being this broody over her death. So," Chan then extended her hand. "Let's honor her sacrifice." Looking at the hand, Kai wiped his eyes on last time before gabbing the hand.

"You're right." Said Kai, serious. "I'm not going to let other people like Miharu suffer. I'm going to fight until this war is over." Getting up, he looked at Amuro and Chan with a determined look. "So, let's give it our all in our next fight with the Zeons and all the others. Cause any less would be offending Miharu and the people that will suffer because we weren't giving it our all. So, you guys with me!?"

"You bet, Kai." Said Amuro, getting up and looking at Kai with a determined look. "I'm not going to let anyone in the White Base die. Vega and I will give it our all in the next fight with the Zeons. If they come, they'll wish that they never came across the White Base with us fighting for it."

"Got that right." Said Kai. "And I'll be there to mop up the scrubs that think they can pull a cheap shot at you. After all, the Gundam isn't invincible and it can be brought down with a cheap shot to the back. Like that Greek hero, Perseus or something."

"Its Achilles." Clarified Chan. "And he died to an arrow to his heel. Granted it was the coward prince of Troy, so the point still stands. Even a suppose weakling can beat the Gundam if they're lucky enough."

"Exactly, and I'll make sure you come back in one piece, Amuro. And so will Hayato and Ryu." Said Kai. That caused Amuro to smile. Bringing out his hand, Amuro waited for Kai to grasp it, which he did, holding it tightly.

"And I'll do the same with you guys." Said Amuro with a smile, causing Kai to smirk.

"You better." Said Kai. "Otherwise, I'm going to beat you senseless when your time comes." That caused Amuro to chuckle. With that done, the two let go and looked at each other. "So when are we arriving at Jaburo? I'm starting to get claustrophobic in this cell."

"In about five minutes, Kai." Said Chan. "We'll let you out soon. So don't develop claustrophobia until we get there." Chuckling at that, Kai looked at the two with a devious smirk.

"I won't so long as you to can keep your libidos in check when around each other." Said Kai. He laughed out loud when the two blushed hard at that.

"Kai!" Yelled Amuro, punching the guy in the shoulder. Holding his shoulder, Kai raised his other hand in surrender.

"Just a joke!" Yelled Kai, stepping away.

"Well it's one of poor taste!" Yelled Chan, red from blushing. "Why would you ever make a joke like that!?"

"I don't know," Started Kai. "Maybe it had something to do with the little lovely dovely you guys had when Amuro got that new Gundam or when you guys keep spending so much time together with it. If I wasn't sure that Chan isn't interested in Vega, then that means that she's interested in you Amuro." The two blushed even harder as Kai began to chuckle. The two were about to punch the chuckling man when Carmine arrived. Raising an eyebrow at the scene, he shook his head, not wanting to know what was going on, before speaking.

"You're free to go, Kai." Said Carmine. "We're about to land in Jaburo soon so Bright thought there's no point in keeping you in for a few minutes longer. Let's go." With that Carmine lead the three out and to the bridge. As they walked, Amuro and Chan gave each other quick glances, blushing whenever they caught each other.

* * *

 **Char**

 **Mad Angler submarine**

 **Few minutes later**

* * *

"Sir, we just lost the Trojan Horse." Said an officer as the Trojan Horse's signal just went away. To the man's and the rest of the crew's confusion, Char just chuckled.

"Do you realize what this means?" Asked Char, looking at everyone "We just uncovered a passageway to Jaburo itself." Everyone's eyes widened at that, realizing that Char was right. They always knew the general location of Jaburo, but no attack was ever made. That was because Jaburo was the most heavily defended Federation base on Earth, easily eclipsing the California Base. Not only was it defended by heavy missile, beam, and flak defenses as well as having a large garrison, the very environment helped mask all of Jaburo's entrances and passageways, preventing the Zeons from finding a weakness in its defenses. The environment also worked against mobile suits as, though they can use the forest to hide from heaviest of Federation guns, an anti-mobile suit team with anti-mobile suit missiles can easily hide among the forestry and take potshots at a mobile suit and they won't be able to deal with them effectively. With no chink in Jaburo's defenses, any attack on Jaburo will be doomed to failure. However, now that they know the general location of one of Jaburo's entranceways, they now have something to concentrate their attack on.

"So what should we do, sir?" Asked Mulligan. Char looked at the man.

"First, get on the radio and inform the California Base of this. Tell them to send as many mobile suits and air support they can spare. Taking Jaburo will effectively cripple the Federation ability to produce warships and to coordinate any war effort on Earth. Also, inform any nearby submarine groups to rendezvous with us. We'll hit them from both the sea and air. I'll be leading a recon group to find more entrances to Jaburo." Saluting Char, Mulligan went on to do his assigned task while Char went to get a Z'Gok. Not his custom Z'Gok. Seeing the Red Comet may entice the Federation to take potshots at him, seeking glory to seeing taking the Red Comet was worth exposing a defense turret of Jaburo. So, he'll just take one of the remaining Z'Goks on the ship. As he walked to the hanger, he had a suspicion that he'll encounter someone that's been on his thorn for quite some time since he begun his hunt for the Trojan Horse.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Jaburo**

* * *

"So, this is Jaburo?" Asked Amuro as he looked around, the mega city/fortress that was Jaburo. He heard of Jaburo, of how that it was akin to a mega city, but he didn't expect this. At first, it looked like Jaburo was a standard military fortress with reinforced steel gates and defensible positions surrounding all entranceways that were guarded with pill boxes and the like. But as the crew of the White Base went deeper into Jaburo via military jeeps, it soon began to turn into a mega city, complete with shopping malls and apartments for the military elite.

"Yes, it is." Said Chan as the two sat near each other. "You'd be amazed just how many civilians actually live here. Most are civilian contractors that maintain Jaburo's essential systems, like air and water filters, so that the military personal can focus on ship construction and, as of now, mobile suit production. They brought their families here because Jaburo is, as of now, the most secure and safe place for civilians on Earth. Military personal also brought their own families here as well because of that fact. So, I'd say there's a ratio of at least three civilians to one soldier in Jaburo." Nodding his head, Amuro looked to see some kids playing in a garden, watched over by some soldiers.

"Your family lives here, right?" Asked Amuro, looking at Chan, who nodded.

"That's right. To be honest, I hope we get some R&R so that I can visit them. I miss them." Said Chan. "I do miss my brother and sister along with my aunt Jill and my dad. It's been months since I last talked with them."

"I'm sure you'll get a chance to talk with them." Said Amuro with a smile. Smiling back, Chan thanked Amuro and they both went the rest of the way in silence. Eventually, the entire White Base crew arrived in a building that they were told to go to while the White Base, having sustained damages during the trip to Jaburo, was being repaired and upgraded. As the crew waited patiently in their seats, Amuro looked at Kai, who waved back. He then pointed at Chan and then at him. He then made kissing noises. Glaring at Kai in annoyance, Amuro was glad that Ryu slapped him for doing those things.

" **Seriously Kai, its not like that between Chan and I."** Thought Amuro irritably as he looked at Chan, who was conversing with Isaac. **"We're just friends."** Although Amuro had to admit Chan was quite a beautiful girl to look at. The way she laughed was endearing and the way she smiled seemed to brighten up his mood. And the way she helped him with the Gundam and its maintenance well as being there for him when he needed it, she had something that Fraw didn't seem to have. He chalked it up to having knowledge on fine arts of computers and engineering but Amuro felt that was a lie. She just…had something that made Amuro want to be around her more and for her to stay in the White Base until the end of the war. Maybe even beyond that. Looking at Chan, he sighed. Maybe Kai had some truth to his words, after all. Before he could ponder on it more, they all heard the sounds of a door being opened. Turning, they saw Selina Agi, Chan's mother, coming in with two guards. After walking down to the front of everyone, the woman coughed a bit before speaking.

"Hello crew of the White Base. Welcome to Jaburo." Started Selina. "For all of you that don't know, I'm Selina Agi, personal secretary to general Revil. And before you all whisper, I'm the mother to your fellow crew member, Chan Agi." Giving her daughter a slight glance, Selina continued. "First off, I want to express apologies to you all for suffering some losses on during your stay on Earth. Rest assured, they'll be given the proper burial services befit to all Federation personal receive when they fall in the line of duty. They'll also receive a two-rank promotion, though I doubt that is actually appealing to any of you." Everyone grumbled at that, angry that they're fallen comrades were only getting a two-rank promotion and a small burial. Sighing at that, she went to more cheerful news. "Moving on, I believe you'll all be pleased to know that a new team of veteran soldiers will be transferring to your ship along with Doctor Whitley and a few others. They'll be replacing Agar and his team, who will be transferring to a different Pegasus carrier. They're called the Immortal 4th and they're some of the first pilots to receive Federation mobile suits. They should prove to be excellent additions to your crew. You'll meet them later this day." Upon hearing that, people began to nod their heads in approval. "Aside from that, high command has decided to promote you all in light of your actions against the Zeons. Your new ranks and insignias will be delivered to your temporary quarters during your stay in Jaburo. That is all. You all may leave except for lieutenant Bright and ensign Mirai." With that, everyone began to, being escorted by the two guards that cam with Selina. With them gone, Bright looked at Selina.

"What is it?" Asked Bright, though he had a suspicion what it was.

"Your new orders, lieutenant." Said Selina. "Follow me. You'll be brief by several admirals and generals for this." Upon hearing that, Bright knew that his news orders will be very important to the war effort. If it wasn't, he wouldn't be having an audience with several admirals and generals at the same time.

"Lead the way." With that, Mirai and Bright followed Selina to the main military command center, where most of the Federation generals and admirals were stationed in while they were at Jaburo.

* * *

 **Char**

 **Mad Angler**

* * *

"So, only three Goggs, one Z'Gok, and one new mobile suit." Said Char as he looked at the reinforcements he received. He was currently looking at the new mobile suit with interest. He was slightly impressed with the machine. It easily eclipsed the height of the Gogg and Z'Gok by about a forth of their height. It had four feet that circled its body in ninety-degree intervals. These feets were equipped with hover jets like the Doms, giving it superior mobility than its smaller amphibious brethren. It also eclipsed both in terms of firepower. It had eight mega particle cannons, four in the front and back of the machine with two on each side of the shoulders. It also had a mega particle cannon on its head, at the very tip. Its body was shaped like a horn on the front and half with its main camera being able to rotate around the whole body, giving the pilot the ability to see anything around him.

"Yes, sir." Said Mulligan. "More amphibious reinforcements are inbound, but they won't be able to make it for the assault." Char hummed at that.

"Unfortunate." Said Char. "We need every mobile suit we can muster if we're going to succeed in this assault on Jaburo." Mulligan nodded at that.

"Still, I'm glad that we acquired one of the new Zocks, sir?" Said Mulligan, looking at the new mobile suit.

"I assume that's the name of this new beast." Asked Char, pointing at the Zock. Mulligan nodded.

"Yes sir, I'm told it's worth three Zakus and it cost only one and a half of those." Said Mulligan.

"Well, let's hope the reports are true, then." Said Char, looking at the Zock. "Tell the pilots to join the rest of the recon team. We need to analyze as many defensive points and entrances in Jaburo so that assault force will have an easier time." Mulligan nodded before relaying the orders to the pilots, who soon went underwater to regroup with whatever Z'Goks were left of Char's task group.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Security station 23**

 **Few minutes later**

* * *

"Sir, I got a bunch of Zeon amphibious mobile suits on the cameras." Said a security officer as he brought up a vid screen of several amphibious mobile suits performing recon around Jaburo. "Should we engage?"

"Negative." Said the officer in charge. "We'll expose our position if we do that." The officer then looked at the mobile suits and what they were doing. Seeing that they didn't know what they're doing, the officer replied again. "Doesn't look like they know they're near an entrance to Jaburo. Let them be but inform high command of this." The security officer nodded before sending a message to a Federation general.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Military jeep on route to White Base**

* * *

South Burning sighed as he glanced to see Monsha was, once again, flirting with their female driver. If it wasn't for the fact that she would be court-martialed for doing so, Burning was sure that she would have beat Monsha to an inch of his life, judging from how the woman was holding the steering wheel. Sighing, Burning scolded Monsha, if only so that he can actually be of use when the time comes for them to get back out in the battlefield.

"Monsha, knock it off." Said Burning, looking at his teammate with a glare. "She's clearly not interested in you, so quit flirting with her. I'll make it an order if I have to." Groaning, Monsha looked at his commander with annoyance.

"Come on, sir." Said Monsha. "She's a real cutie, don't you think." Burning had to admit, Monsha was right on that. The woman was quite beautiful. Brown hair that reminded Burning of chocolate and hazel eyes that can take a man's breath away. If he wasn't already married to Sylvia, he would have been interested in dating this woman. "She's a real catch if I can get her, eh." Shaking his head, Burning looked back of their jeep to see Alpha Bate and Chap Adel, his other two teammates, were patiently waiting for their ride to be over. Behind their jeep were four flatbed trucks that held their GM mobile suits, the standard issued ones. Seeing that they weren't causing trouble, Burning thought of the new ship that his team was assigned to. He wasn't ashamed to admit that his jaw dropped to the floor when he heard that his team would be assigned to the White Base, probably the most famous ship in the entire Federation military.

When he heard about its crew, he felt sorrow and pity for them as well as anger at the Federation for not providing much assistance to begin with. He was happy that they got support in the from of two mobile suit teams prior to Odessa, but he also felt that it was quite late. Still, it was something. And now he was going to be apart of this infamous ship. After recovering from the shock, Burning made a silent promise to himself that he'll get as many as them out of this terrible war, even if it kills him. Many of them started out of civilians that didn't even want to be apart of the military in the first place and now they were forced to by the Federation. He volunteered. They didn't. Keeping to himself, he watched as the illustrious ship came into view.

" **So that's the White Base."** Thought Burning as he looked at the ship that caused the death of Garma Zabi as well as the Blue Giant. **"Its an honor to be apart of its crew."** With the White Base in view, the military jeeps increased their speed. Within a few minutes, the convoy arrived at their designation. Jumping off, Burning thanked their driver before dragging off Monsha before he can flirt with her more. Ignoring the man's complaints, Burning looked at the White Base, impressed by it. Seeing a squad of engineers were working hard to fix the damages the ship had, Burning went over to the man that looked like to be in charge. Upon seeing Burning arriving, the man saluted with Burning doing the same.

"Lieutenant Woody of the engineering corps." Said the brown-haired and eyes man. Burning nodded before speaking.

"Lieutenant Burning. Commander for the Immortal 4th." Said Burning. With introductions out of the way, the two men stood at ease. "What are the damages to the ship?" Woody sighed at that.

"They're extensive, lieutenant." Said Woody before giving Burning a report. "Though the armor held at the bottom of the ship, several systems were damage from missile fire. We also saw that one of the main engines was hit. The crew was lucky that the damage wasn't severe or else they wouldn't be here. We're working on repairing the ship and upgrading it. With luck, it'll be done in three days." Burning nodded at that.

"That's quite an accomplishment. You must be proud of your team." Woody smiled at that.

"It's the least we can do. This ship and its crew have endured so much alone. I'm amazed they didn't mutiny or defect to the Zeons. They either had faith in the Federation or they were too angry with the Zeons for destroying their home."

"We can guess correctly which one it was, lieutenant." Said Burning, doubting that it was faith in the Federation that prevented their defection. "Anyway, what is the damage to their mobile suits?"

"Aside from the Gundam, they're all fine. The Gundam suffered quite a bit of damage from an enemy mobile armor. We're making it one of our top priorities." Burning raised an eyebrow at that.

"Why is that, lieutenant Woody?" Asked Burning. Woody rubbed his neck before explaining.

"I don't know much, but there's several Zeon amphibious mobile suits within Jaburo's perimeter. We don't know if they're scanning the area for Jaburo or if they're just out on patrol, but its enough to have me put the Gundam at the top of the priority list." Burning frowned at that.

"You think they'll attack?" Asked Burning. They shouldn't be able to take on Jaburo's defenses, but he didn't know with the Zeons. All they did to do was send a couple of mobile suits within the caverns and they could do some serious damage.

"If they do attack, my team will be ready to repel them." Said Burning before looking to see the GMs getting up on their own. "You heard that, Frost." Burning's personal GM looked at him before nodding.

" **Affirmative, lieutenant."** Said Frost, Burning's AI. " **We'll send them packing."** Smiling, Burning then instructed them to wait in the White Base's hanger. Nodding, Frost and the other AI-equipped GMs marched to the hanger, waiting further instructions.

"All your GMs are equipped with artificial intelligences?" Asked Woody, surprised at this. Usually a mobile suit team only got one to save costs.

"Yup." Said Burning. "My team is one of the lucky few to get an AI for each of us." Truth be told, he was shocked to find that he and his team were one of the few selected to get more than one AI. Only those with extensive combat records could get so many artificial intelligences.

Frost was his AI and the two got along well with Frost usually just helping him with monitoring and maintaining his suit. Monsha got Stalk, why the heck he got an AI with a name as that was beyond Burning. Still Stalk had saved Monsha's butt several times during the simulators and the two got along well enough, despite Stalk's confusion at Monsha's actions around women his age. Chap got along with Blast, probably the best out of all of them. The two coordinated with each other on firing solutions and ensuring all their shots hit somewhere where maximum damage can be brought on an enemy. Alpha got an AI called Omega, the irony is not lost on Burning, and though the two don't interact much, they had each other's back through and through and even engage in light conversations should Alpha get the urge to do so. Overall, the AIs brought an increased effectiveness to his team and Burning appreciated it.

"Then you all must be good at your jobs to receive such an honor." Said Woody. Burning nodded.

"That we are." Said Burning. "We'll protect this ship with our lives and we'll make the Zeons regret ever picking on this ship and its crew again." Woody nodded at that.

"I'll hold you to that. This ship is of great importance to my fiancé." Woody then smiled as he looked at the ship. "And to be honest, I can see why." Raising an eyebrow, Burning was about to inquire about that when he saw a jeep coming up with several teenagers. Looking at that, Burning spotted a single brown-haired boy coming up with a blue-haired girl. Recognizing the boy as the Gundam pilot, Burning walked over. Stopping just short of the two, Burning smiled a kind smile.

"Hello there. I'm South Burning. I was assigned to your ship." Said Burning, extending out his hand. Looking at the hand, the boy hesitantly grabbed it and squeezed it. Shaking the boy's hand, Burning let go and looked at the boy, who looked at him with uncertain eyes.

"I'm Amuro Ray. And this is my friend Chan." Said the boy, introducing his friend, who waved at Burning. Waving back, Burning looked at the two.

"Its good to meet you Amuro." Said Burning. "I was planning to speak with the pilots of this ship later this day, but it looks like you're all here."

"That's right." Said Chan. "We're all here to check up on the ship. Its been, after all, our home for our time on Earth." Burning nodded at that, completely getting the feeling of considering a ship to be a home after an extended period of time.

"And to see if these techies don't mess up with our mobile suits." Said a light-blue haired teen as he looked at a Guncannon, which was in pieces so that the engineers can see if there was anything wrong with it. "You guys better not mess with the seat! I just got it the way I like it!" Upon hearing that, Burning's teammates laughed and began picking on the kid, though Chap tried to dissuade them, to no avail.

"Well, before my teammates make this a bad encounter, I want to promise you that we'll do whatever we can to ensure that the White Base crew makes it out alive in one piece. This was has taken to much from you all and I don't want your lives to be next. So, we'll lay down our lives if necessary, to ensure that you kids live another day." Widening their eyes in surprise, the two looked at Burning to see if he was telling the truth. Seeing no deceit in the man's eyes, Amuro looked at him with determined eyes.

"Thank you sir, but I don't want you to die either. I want all of us to make it out alive." Said Amuro. "Don't get me wrong, lieutenant, I'm not doubting your skills, but I don't want people to sacrifice themselves pointlessly. We should all try to keep each other alive without endangering ourselves recklessly. So let's not try any heroics." Burning smiled at that.

"I'll agree to that. I rather have living soldiers than dead heroes." Said Burning. "Nonetheless, you have my word that we'll have your back. We'll also help you with improving your skills in combat. From what I've heard, you could use it." Remembering how Shiro helped him and how it ended prematurely, Amuro nodded.

"I could us it. In fact, I think all us need it. How about some training session between the White Base team between yours, sir?" Burning made a competitive smirk upon hearing that. He may be a nice guy, but he can be quite a competitive when it comes to friendly challenges and simulations.

"Think your fancy mobile suits can take on the Immortal 4th, Amuro?" Asked Burning. Amuro nodded with his own determined look.

"I think we can. We're not as green as you think we are." Said Amuro. Burning nodded at that, respecting Amuro's fighting spirit.

"Alright, Tomorrow morning, we'll do a virtual battle between our suits. Let's see if you're good as the troops say." Amuro nodded. With that, Burning was about to leave when Monsha came in, whistling.

"So that's the daughter of Selina Agi, huh?" Asked Monsha as he looked at Chan while leaning on Burning's shoulder.

"Monsha.' Warned Burning, not amused. Monsha raised his hand nonchalantly.

"Relax, even I have standards." Said Monsha. "I'm just saying she's got the looks of her mother. Give it a couple of years and she'll be quite the looker. You'll have guys saying, "Damn, how in the hell is that woman an engineer.", you ready for stuff like that, kid?" Blinking, Chan looked at away, uncomfortably with the question and situation she was in.

"Well…, I'm not that good a looker." Said Chan, clenching her arms. Upon seeing that, Burning looked at Monsha, warning him to stop lest he regret it, while Amuro glared at Monsha while holding Chan.

"Oh c'mon. You definitely got the figure of your mom as well as your aunt. Your dad is one lucky bastard for scoring such a hot babe. He's even luckier when he finds out his daughter will be as smoking as his wife. Who knows, you'll have people wanting to tap those ga…" He couldn't say anymore when Burning grabbed his ear and pulled hard, causing the guy to yelp out in pain.

"That's it. You earned yourself a time out and a report to our new captain." Said Burning, his eye twitching. Looking at Chan, he could see her blushing hard at what Monsha was about to say while Amuro glared at Monsha, pissed off and rightfully so in Burning's eyes. Giving them an apologetic look, Burning left with Monsha in tow, who was yelling at Burning to let go of his ear. With them gone, Amuro looked at Chan.

"You okay?" Asked Amuro, sympathy in his eyes. Nodding her head, Chan looked at Amuro.

"Its fine, Amuro." Said Chan. "He just said some inappropriate things. Nothing to get worked up much on."

"But still, he shouldn't have said that things." Said Amuro, anger in his veins. "If that guy kept talking, I would have…" Chan then placed a hand on Amuro's shoulder, causing him to stop.

"Amuro." Scolded Chan lightly. "Beating him up won't solve anything. It'll just get you in trouble. While I agree that he would have deserved a punch or two, I don't want you to get into trouble. Especially over something so stupid." Sighing, Amuro looked at Chan with an apologetic look.

"I know. Its just that…that guy has that attitude that makes you want to punch him in the face." Said Amuro. "Kind of like Kai, just more…perverted."

"I heard that, and I'm offended." Said Kai before resuming his talk with a man with a black mustache, who chuckled.

"I get it." Said Chan. "But just bear with it and report it to an officer if it bothers you. Bright will straighten him after this." Remembering what Bright did to Agar, Amuro nodded, actually looking forward to that guy getting it.

"I'll try, but still. It wasn't right that he did to you Chan." Said Amuro. "You're not as beautiful as your mother nor do you have to be." Upon hearing that, Chan raised an eyebrow.

"Are you saying I'm not beautiful." Spluttering upon hearing that, Amuro backtracked on that.

"No, I mean you're just not there yet. Not that there is anything wrong with what you look now. I'm just saying you don't have your mother's…" As Amuro tried to find the right word that wouldn't get him slapped, Chan looked at him expectantly. As seconds turned to minutes, Amuro started to die inside as Chan was waiting for his answer.

" **I'm so dead."** Thought Amuro, kicking himself for getting him in this situation. Luckily for him, lieutenant Woody came to the rescue.

"I believe what your friend is trying to say is that you haven't yet achieved the beauty and grace of your mother yet. And I also believe that he believes that you'll achieve it once you've grown into a fine young woman. Perhaps even surpass it. Isn't that right, young man?" Said Woody. Nodding quickly, Amuro looked at Chan, who looked at Amuro. To his surprise and relief, she started giggling.

"Relax, Amuro. I wasn't going to slap you or anything like that. I understood what you meant." Said Chan. "You're adorable when you're flustered." Blushing at that, Amuro rubbed his neck.

"I guess you can say that." Said Amuro. Smiling a bit, Chan left Amuro alone, saying she'll check up on Vega and see how the repairs are doing on the Gundam. With her gone, Amuro looked at Woody.

"Thank you, sir." Said Amuro, grateful for the man's assistance. "I really should be kicking myself for getting into that trap." Woody chuckled at that.

"You aren't the first or the last man that will put themselves in that trap, I guarantee you." Said Woody. He then introduced himself. "I'm lieutenant Woody, the head engineer in charge of overseeing the repairs and upgrades to the White Base as well as its mobile suits." He then looked at Amuro. "You must be Amuro Ray. Lieutenant Matilda spoke highly of you and the rest of the pilots of the White Base." Upon hearing Matilda, Amuro widened his eyes in surprise.

"You know lieutenant Matilda?" Asked Amuro in surprise. Woody nodded.

"Indeed." Said Woody. "She's my fiancé, after all." Amuro's eyes widened at that.

"I didn't know that Matilda had a fiancé." Said Amuro. **"That'll crush a lot of guys in the crew."** Woody nodded.

"I wouldn't be surprised. To be frank, Matilda will scold me for saying this to you. She wanted it to be a surprise to the White Base crew. But I think that you deserve to know after ensuring that Matilda made it through Odessa. A lot of good men and women died there." Amuro nodded at that. He then backtracked upon hearing that Matilda wanted her fiancé to be a surprise.

"Why did she want it to be a surprise?" Asked Amuro. Woody just rubbed his neck.

"Well, you see. We wanted have the White Base crew there for our wedding." Amuro stared at Woody in shock.

"But why would she want that?" Asked Amuro. "She only resupplied us a few times and that's it. We barely know much about her other than she's a kind woman." Woody smiled.

"Well, this may sound silly, but Matilda developed an attachment to this ship and its crew. Call it naïve sentimental value, but Matilda saw something special in your crew and your ship. And to be frank, I believe her. You've not only killed Garma Zabi, but you humiliated the Red Comet, shown people that he can be taken down, killed the Blue Giant, an ace that is said to be just as good as the Red Comet. You even stopped a nuclear missile from detonating, saving soldiers form both sides. And the fact that you did it all with very little support, made Matilda see that you all are indeed special. So I guess, she thought it would be a good idea to invite you guys to our wedding. If you all would accept of course." Amuro smiled at that.

"You'll have to ask, Bright about that, but I'll think he'll accept. That is if we don't get shipped out as soon as the repairs to our ship are finished."

"Even then, we need a full day and a half to fully upgrade and fix it." Said Woody. "This ship has endured so much, it's a miracle she's still floating." Amuro nodded at that, remembering all the times that it took a hit from barrages of missiles and the like from the enemy. "If that is all, then I need to get back to my post."

"Wait! I want to know, where's lieutenant Matilda now?" Asked Amuro, worried for Matilda, if only because he didn't want Woody to be hurt that she died before their wedding. Smiling, Woody looked at Amuro.

"She's fine, Amuro. She's delivering reinforcements to your friend Shiro, who I've heard is doing alright as well. Once that's done, she'll return and we'll have our wedding. Thank you for asking. I appreciate it." Smiling, Amuro wished him a good wedding, something that made Woody appreciate the boy more.

" **He's a good man, Matilda."** Thought Woody as he walked away. **"You were right as always."**

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Bright**

* * *

"Are those our orders?" Asked Bright as Mirai looked at the papers containing their orders. She frowned at them. They didn't contain much. Other than going to Side 6 to escort admiral Kowen, they didn't get much other than to meet up with Tianem and his fleet. As she looked at them, Bright looked at the three admirals that he was debriefing with. Aside from Kowen, he wasn't comfortable with them. Wyatt was a typical Federation officer. He bribed and had the connections necessary to bump up the ranks. He didn't care of the lives of his men and was perfectly fine with doing whatever dirty tricks he can think of in order to win and look good. Gopp, though a bit better than Wyatt, was still a man that Bright wasn't sure on what he felt about. While the man actually earned his position, he wasn't exactly caring. To him, the war was simply a way to pick the chafe from the wheat.

"That's right." Said Admiral Wyatt, one of the remaining admirals in the Federation space forces. "Tianem will give you the rest of your orders when you reached him and his fleet. We would say more, but unfortunately, that is classified." Bright frowned at that. Their orders must be big if they're this classified.

"Aside from that, we would also liked to promote you, for such extensive victories over the Zeon forces with so few resources at your disposal, to lieutenant commander, Bright. You earned it." Said Admiral Gopp.

"Thank you, admiral. I'll wear my new rank with pride." Said Bright, though he felt that it was a hollow. Fortunately, Kowen came to save the day.

"As you'll be escorting me, you'll be under my command." Said Kowen. "That means you'll be working with the 11th fleet. If there is anything that you need, just say it." Bright nodded, feeling at ease with working at Kowen. He heard of the admiral and he was pleased to be working with the man. Though he was under heavy criticism by the other, more bigot, admirals on account of his spacenoid background, the man was still a good tactician that played by the rules of engagement and cared a great deal for his men. Bright was sure that he won't play with the lives of his ship.

"I have nothing to ask, sir. Just name the day we'll be leaving and we'll be there for you." Kowen nodded before speaking again.

"We'll leave in eight days. Until then, you'll all have shore leave. I'm sorry that we can't give out more, but with the war as it is." Bright nodded.

"Don't worry, sir. We'll make the most of them." Said Bright. With that, Bright and Mirai was about to take off when Wyatt spoke out.

"Excuse me, but isn't the young lady with you the daughter of Shu Yashima?" Asked Wyatt, looking at Mirai. Stopping, Bright looked at Wyatt.

"Is that a problem, sir?" Asked Bright, looking back at the three admirals.

"Not at all." Said Gopp. "It's just a shame that your father died, Miss Mirai. He would have most likely stopped this war from ever happening in the first place." Kowen and Wyatt nodded at that. Turning around, Mirai looked at the admirals.

"It is. He would have been instrumental in securing peace." Said Mirai, a bit quieter than usual. Looking at her in concern, Bright would have spoke when Kowen spoke.

"Yes, he would have." Said Kowen, sorrow in his voice. "He was a good man." Mirai nodded at that.

"Thank you for speaking so highly of my father, but I really need to go." With that Mirai quickly left, leaving the military men alone. Saluting the admirals, Bright followed Mirai. Once the man was gone, Kowen looked at the other two admirals.

"Was it necessary to bring her father into this?" Asked Kowen. "She's still grieving his death, after all."

"She's a tough woman." Said Wyatt, uncaring. "If she hadn't gotten over it, then she needs to grow up." Kowen frowned and was about to speak up when Gopp intervened.

"Enough." Said Gopp. "Whether or not it was right to bring up Shu Yashima is irrelevant. What is relevant if the defense of Jaburo. Have we received any new development from our early warning stations?"

"No." Said Kowen. "However, I've just received word that there's been some massive deployment of Zeon forces from the California base. That's been several hours ago. I reckon they're all coming here. And that the amphibious mobile suits have been scouting for them. Giving them locations of entranceways to Jaburo." Gopp nodded at that.

"If they come, they'll be sorry. We have hundreds of our new GMs ready to take the fight to them. Not to mention our extensive defensives. They'll regret ever fighting us on Jaburo." Said Wyatt. Kowen nodded, agreeing with Wyatt on that regard.

"Even still, we should prepare for their attack. Isn't that right, admiral Gopp?" Gopp nodded at that.

"It would not do for us to not prepare for an attack. We'll be a laughing stock in the Federation if we don't." Said Gopp. He then smirked. "Send a squad of mobile suits to each entranceway. Even if they breach an entranceway, they'll find a dozen mobile suits with beam weapons ready to blast them to hell."

* * *

 **The next day**

 **Char**

 **Mad Angler**

 **Few minutes before assault of Jaburo commences**

* * *

"Sir, I've just received word. The reinforcements from California base have arrived." Said Mulligan, transmitting from the submarine to Char's personal Z'gok, modified to his own specs. Char nodded at that.

"About time. What's the scale of the force?" Asked Char as he checked his systems for the last time.

"Sixty mobile suits with twenty Gaw attack carriers and the appropriate Dopp fighter escort. We also received a team of four Acguys." Said Mulligan.

" **Then that brings our total mobile suit number to 72. Not as much as I like but its more than I hoped for."** Thought Char before activating his suit. "Alright Mulligan, I'm moving out. Signal the force to begin the assault." With that Char and his team went into the ocean to link up with the rest of the amphibious assault force. Within a few minutes, a flare was shot up from the Mad Angler submarine, signaling the Gaw assault force to attack.

Once they were in range, the Gaw fired their missiles and mega particle cannons at the entrance that Char's task force found, taking out whatever defenses were nearby and creating giant holes on the metal roof that concealed the entranceway. The moment that they did so, however, Jaburos defenses also lit up. Missiles, bullets, and mega particle blasts filled the skies as the defenders began their efforts to repel the enemy. The initial barrage took out two Gaws, destroying them and their mobile suit complements. After a 3rd fell to a mega cannon, the Gaws began to unload their mobile suit complements, realizing they need to drop them all or else the ground troops will suffer tremendous casualties before they could even fight. Even then, the mobile suits suffered casualties as some defenses began to focus their efforts on them.

A Zaku was destroyed when a mega cannon managed to hit it in the center of its torso, causing it to explode. A Dom was destroyed by several missiles after it dodged a barrage of lasers. And a Gouf was destroyed the moment it landed by a hidden pillbox equipped with large caliber guns. Not matter how many were destroyed, however, the vast majority landed safely and began to march to the entranceway or any other way into Jaburo. As the battle raged on the ground, Char and his task group were busy breaching another way into Jaburo. As they were nearing completion, Char hummed to himself.

"Is there another way into Jaburo?" Asked Char to the Zock pilot. "You said this entranceway leads into the front lines, correct?" The Zock turned around.

"Yes, sir." Said the pilot. "There's also a smaller entrance some distance away. I can show you." Char shook his head at that.

"No, you take this way. I'll lead the Acguys and some Z'Goks to the other entranceway." With that, Char and his team began to make their way to the other entrance, being lead by a Z'Gok that was with the recon group.

* * *

 **Dock 5**

* * *

"Alright, check your weapon people." Said Burning as the Immortal 4th, a squad of GMs, and the White Base team guarded the entranceway that the Zeons blasted apart. From the radio, it seemed the Zeons were on their way. Scattered, but were on their way.

"Damn, they must have a submarine chasing us." Said Kai as he used a building as cover. "That's the entrance we used to get into Jaburo."

"Looks that way." Commented Chap in his GM, his beam spray gun aimed at the entranceway, despite it having inferior range to an actual beam rifle.

"Guess we have to thank you guys for the enemy finding out this entranceway." Said Alpha, keeping calm.

"Cut the chatter." Said Burning. "What's done is done. What matters is repelling these Zeons from Jaburo.

"Whatever, let them come!" Yelled Monsha with a smirk. "They'll regret the day they mess with us!" With his team motivated and ready, Burning contacted Amuro and Kai.

'You two going to be fine?" Asked Burning. "I heard that your suits had gotten some pretty bad damage the last time you fought."

"Gundam is fine." Said Amuro. "We checked the new arm and leg. We'll be fine."

"And this Guncannon will be fine. This thing has been through hell and back! Its not going to let me down now!" Nodding at that, Burning looked at the Guntank, who was perched behind them all, acting as a sniper. He then looked at their positioning.

 **"Not a whole lot of cover to use."** Thought Burning at their lack of useable cover. **"But the Zeons are suffering the same thing. Just gotta take them out quick before we're swarmed."** He then looked at the GMs, both his and their other squads'. Unlike the GM ground type, the RGM-79 GM was made from a regular Titanium alloy to reduce cost. Luna titanium was just too expensive and too time-consuming to make. Plus, it can only be made in a zero-gravity environment, meaning it can't be made in Jaburo. Thus, regular titanium was used on the mass-produced GM. Despite being less durable as a result, the GM was lighter and faster than the original Gundam. It was also easy to pilot, much to the satisfaction of many pilots, who had never piloted anything but a fighter jet before. The armament of the GM, however, was more lacking than armor.

Aside from some machineguns, the GM's only armament, aside from a single beam saber and a pair of Vulcans, was a beam spray gun, which essentially a discount beam rifle. Its focusing coil was weaker, thus its range was shorter than the original Gundam's beam rifle, though it also had the added benefit of spreading the beam out, making it like a shotgun of sorts, meaning it was effective in close range. That is if the Zeons will allow themselves to get that close. Before he could ponder more on the GM, Frost suddenly warned him of incoming enemies.

"Get ready! Here they come!" Yelled Burning before aiming his spray gun at the entranceway just as two Zakus and a Dom came crashing out from some of the holes and into Jaburo. Upon seeing the mobile suits, the everyone opened fire. The three Zeon mobile suits couldn't even get a shot off before they were slaughtered. Ceasing fire, Burning was about to congratulate everyone when seven more Zeon mobile suits, a mix of Goufs, Doms, and Zakus, came out and began firing at the Federation mobile suits, who barely raised their shields in time to endure the barrage. Returning fire, the two sides battled for control of the docks.

* * *

 **Entranceway 32**

* * *

"Alright, keep calm boys." Said a female Federation pilot as she and two other GMs held position over a tunnel. According to their AI, two Zakus had breached an entranceway and were approaching their position through the tunnel they were guarding. "You sure they're coming Havoc?"

" **Affirmative, miss Mary."** Said the AI. **"You should hear them in five seconds."** As if on que, they heard the rumble and stomps of mobile suits. Upon hearing the stomps, the GMs got into positions on the sides of the tunnel. Aiming their guns at the tunnel opening, the three GMs waited for the Zakus to arrive. In thirty seconds, two Zakus made their way out of the tunnel. Upon seeing the Zakus, the GMs opened fire, careful to not cause their reactors to explode. The first Zaku got its head blown off by a beam spray gun while the other only managed to bring out its heat hawk before having its arms blown off as well. With none useless, Mary grabbed out her beam saber and sliced the other Zaku's arms off. The other two GMs tackled them to the ground once they were useless.

"Havoc, are there any more enemy mobile suits arriving?" Asked Mary as the other GMs began the process of attempting to disable the Zakus so that the Zeon pilots don't do anything suicidal.

" **Negative, though I recommend keeping this place guarded."** Said the AI as it kept an eye on the tunnel. Agreeing, Mary went back to guarding the entrance as the other two GMs began to slice of the two Zaku's legs.

* * *

 **Area just outside entranceway 41**

* * *

"Come on!" Yelled a Zaku pilot as he led a Gouf and another Zaku to an entranceway they found. The three mobile suits were from different teams that suffered heavy casualties, leaving only the three to regroup and form a makeshift team. They barely made it to the RV point when they spotted another entranceway, hidden in some rocks. Seeing another way into Jaburo, the three moved in on it after reporting it in. As they marched into the entrance, they felt pride coursing through them. They were participating in the assault on the Federation's most secure fortress/production facility on Earth. If Zeon takes it, or at least do significant damage to Jaburo to impede its significance in the war, then the Federation will surely surrender. Not to mention that all survivors of this assault will be regarded as heroes to Zeon and be promoted if they won this day. With that in mind, the Zeon pilots marched to the entrance with reckless endeavor. Because of that, however, they didn't see the three GMs waiting for them until it was too late. The moment they entered the effective range of the GM's weaponry, they unloaded everything they had on them, obliterating them. With the threat now gone, the GMs went further into the entranceway, preparing to make some ambush points in case more Zeon mobile suits arrive.

* * *

 **Dock 2**

* * *

"Hold them back!" Yelled Agar as he fired his Guncannon's shoulder cannons at a Zaku, who dodged before returning fire. Enduring the shots, Agar fired again and the Zaku went down before exploding. The force of the blast disoriented a Gouf and Dom, allowing Chris and Leon to blast them apart. After being transferred out of the White Base, the 3rd mobile suit artillery team was sent to work with Pegasus assault carrier, Blanc Rival, which would be their home ship for the duration of the war. Upon arriving on the ship, they were shocked to find that there was a Gundam on the ship.

Named the Mudrock Gundam, this particular Gundam was based off combat data of the original RX-78 Gundam. It was built to address the lack of weaponry the original had once the beam rifle was out of ammo. Not only was it equipped with backpack-mounted cannons, it also came with grenade launchers on each arm, a better reactor and bigger backpack along with leg thrusters. It was a fine upgrade to the RX-78. Though Amuro received the Full Armor MK. II, the Federation decided to give it to another pilot, who is currently up for debate.

As much as it would be invaluable in the defense of Jaburo, the Mudrock was, unfortunately, still under construction, meaning they couldn't deploy it yet. So, the 3rd artillery team had to fight without it.

" **Hopefully we won't need it."** Thought Agar, praying that he didn't jinx it.

"That's the last of them!" Yelled Leon as their GM complement began to move in, searching for any other Zeon mobile suits.

"Alright, secure the breach but be on guard. There could be more." Said Chris as he joined the GMs. Looking at Agar's Guncannon, Leon spoke.

"Think they'll come again?" Asked Leon, referring to the Zeons. Agar nodded.

"No doubt on it." Said Agar. "This is one of the spots they breached. They won't give it up so easily." Agar then looked at the breached entrance. "They must be desperate if they're attacking Jaburo."

"You got that, right." Said Leon. "Scourge, is there anymore coming?"

" **Affirmative. I tapped into the security systems of Jaburo and I just saw a mixed squad of Zeon mobile suits approaching. ETA, two minutes."** Said Scourge.

"Damnit." Said Agar. "We got to dig in and hold them off. C'mon Leon!" With that, the two Guncannons approached the GMs and Christ, informing them of the situation. Upon learning of more Zeon mobile suits were coming, they all took defensive positions near the breach. As they waited, Scourge reported in something that made Agar's heart stop.

" **Alert! I just received word that a bright red mobile suit has breached Jaburo through another entrance. Its tearing our forces apart."** Scourge then showed a captured video of a red Z'Gok tearing through a squad of GMs with ease. The footage having been captured by the squad's AI before it destroyed itself. Upon seeing the red suit, Agar widened his eyes in shock.

"You've got to be shitting us!" Yelled Chris as he widened his eyes upon seeing the suit. Leon just grimaced. He suddenly felt the need to pray. Agar just growled. He was about to relay the problem when the enemy suits arrived. They took out a GM before the rest could retaliate. Seeing they couldn't do anything, Agar yelled out in frustration before firing at a Zaku.

* * *

 **Char**

 **Few minutes ago**

* * *

"You must be joking!" Yelled Char as he dodged a GM's machine gun fire with ease before blasting it with his Z'Gok's mega particle cannons, hitting it in the torso and causing it to blow up. He then charged at another GM, who fired frantically at the Red Comet, only to get stabbed with the Z'Gok's claws at the torso, killing the pilot. Pulling away, Char looked to see the rest of his team were taking out the remaining GMs, though they lost an Acguy and Z'Gok in the fighting.

" **This is far too easy."** Thought Char as he looked at his fellow pilots regrouping with him. In the past, Char would have had some difficulty in beating so many mobile suits, but now, with his New type powers awakened, its child's play in beating these Federation mobile suits.

"We'll split up. Acguys, you go deeper and wreak havoc in Jaburo, I'll lead the Z'Goks to help assist our forces in breaching the other entranceways. It sounds like they need the support." With their orders, the Acguys went deeper into Jaburo, intent to do much damage as possible. As his Z'Gok team ran, Char contacted the Zock.

"Braskinev, how's it going on your end?" Asked Char.

"We're having some trouble, captain!" Yelled Braskinev as he fired his mega cannons at two GMs, taking both down before forcing back into the water to avoid retaliation fire from the remaining GMs. "We lost all our Goggs from an ambush by Federation mobile suits! It's just me and one Z'Gok, sir!"

"Do you need assistance?" Asked Char as he ran.

"Negative! We got this! We'll rendezvous with you as soon as possible!" Yelled the pilot before firing again. This time not getting any kills as the GMs took cover to avoid the shots. They then fired again.

"Alright, good luck." Said Char before ending the transmission. "Alright, let's go help the others."

* * *

 **Dock 5**

 **Present**

* * *

"Amuro!" Yelled Sayla from the White Base. "The enemy managed to break through. We need mobile suits to take them out before they get further into the base!"

"What!?" Yelled Amuro as he fired at a Dom with his beam rifle, destroying it. "But we got our hands full here, Sayla. We can't take spare anyone!"

"Not necessarily!" Yelled Burning, dodging a swing from a Gouf heat saber before flying up and firing his beam spray gun at it, blowing the head up. He then followed up with stabbing the Gouf with his beam saber, killing the pilot but not causing an explosion. "Take Kai. We'll handle things here!" Amuro was about to protest when Vega spoke.

" **We have to, Amuro. The enemy that managed to breach our lines is lead by an old acquaintance."** Before Amuro could inquire, Vega showed the video of a lone red mobile suit taking out a squad of GMs. Amuro's eyes widen in horror and recognition at the suit.

"No way!" Said Amuro. "Char! He's back?"

" **It looks that way. And if he managed to breach our lines, then a great deal of people will die. Most of our mobile suits are already tasked with repelling the enemy or are too far away to deal with the Red Comet. We're the only one that can stop him in time."** Clenching his controls, Amuro narrowed his eyes at the red Z'Gok. Even though it could be any ace pilot, Amuro knew, he just knew that Char was back. Without warning, he turned the Gundam and retreated deeper into Jaburo with Kai following.

"Any plans?" Asked Kai as the two went as fast as their mobile suits can go.

"I'll take on Char. You deal with anyone else." Said Amuro. "Char is just too good for you to deal Kai."

"I would take offense if it wasn't true." Said Kai. "Alright, you deal with our old friend while I got any suits that come to help him." As they left, a Dom spotted them leaving. It took aim with its bazooka and was about to fire when it was shot with a GM's beam spray gun. As it blew up, Monsha yelled out.

"That's what you get!" Yelled Monsha, laughing a bit before going back to focusing on the remaining enemies, who just received reinforcements. "God damnit! Just how many more are there!?"

"Can't be more left after this!" Yelled Chap as he fired his spray gun. After the 3rd shot, it was all out. Tossing it aside, he grabbed a bazooka at his mobile suit's back and fired it. The shot missed a Zaku, who fired back at. Raising his shield in time, Chap fired again, this time taking the Zaku down. Before he could celebrate, a Dom charged in, its heat saber at the ready. As it approached Chap's GM, the man braced himself as he brought out his saber. Just as the Dom was about to swing, the GM ducked underneath the swing before slicing at the Dom's legs, slicing them off. As the Dom fell to the ground, Chap's GM got up and fired at the Zeon forced before tossing its saber at the fallen Dom. The beam saber stabbed the Dom perfectly in the Dom's cockpit, incinerating the pilot.

"Nice shot, Blast!" Yelled Chap as he returned fire, his AI providing fire assistance.

" **Affirmative."** Said Blast before giving more targeting data for Chap.

"Showoffs!" Yelled Monsha before firing at the enemy. After missing two shots, he growled. "Stalk! Take control of my gun! Let's get more kills than everyone else!"

" **I fail to see how this is a contest."** Commented Stalk, Monsha's AI, before taking over the GM's servos. It then aimed at the enemy and fired three shots, taking three mobile suits down with perfect accuracy. A forth mobile suit went down when it tried to be perform evasive maneuvers again Monsha's GM, but went down regardless, the AI having predicted where the suit was going to be.

"Hey! You're cheating Monsha!" Yelled Alpha as he finished off a Zaku that decided to tackle him and engage in fisticuffs with him.

"Hey, Stalk is here to help me survive and he's doing that. By taking my enemies out for me." Said Monsha as he began to stretch his limbs, watching as Stalk took out another mobile suit before getting rid of the beam spray gun, now out of ammo, and equipping the beam saber. The GM then charged at a Gouf, that also charged in.

"God damn lazy ass." Said Alpha before providing covering fire with any GM that still had ammo in their guns.

" **Has he always been like this?"** Asked Alpha's AI, Omega.

"Yup." Said Alpha. "Maybe it gotten even worse with Stalk around."

"I'll deal with it later." Said Burning, disapproving Monsha's use of his AI. Its there to help him improve as a pilot as well as helping him survive a battle. "For now, take them out! This has to be the last wave. All units charge!" With that, the GMs charged in with the Guntank providing supporting fire. Upon seeing this, the Zeon mobile suits, five in total, were shocked to find them charging before opening fire. One GM was lost to enemy fire with one losing their shield after it broke from two bazooka rounds, but the rest made it within melee range and began hacking the Zeon suits apart. They tried to fight back, but the Zeon suits were overwhelmed. Stabbing a Gouf one final time, Burning looked over. In the course of the battle, they lost five GMs. In exchange, they took out eighteen enemy mobile suits. A good trade. With their AIs saying that no other suit was approaching, Burning looked at the surviving GMs from the other squad.

"Secure the dock." Said Burning. "We're going to help out the Gundam."

"Understood." Said the CO of the squad before he began ordering his men to secure the dock." With that, the Immortal 4th ran as fast as they could with the Guntank in tow to Amuro and Kai's location, hoping they weren't too late.

* * *

 **Amuro and Kai**

* * *

"He's just up ahead. Get ready, Kai!" Yelled Amuro as the Gundam and Guncannon ran to where they heard explosions.

"Hope we got enough ammo." Said Kai as he checked his ammo reserves. Five shots in the beam rifle and only eight shells for each cannon. Amuro checked his as well and saw that he had only six shots in his twin-beam rifle before its powerpack needed to be replaced. He also only had two rocket left in his other arm. The cannon and launcher were fine and loaded, though he wasn't going to use them in Jaburo. They were far too powerful. Before he could speak strategy with Kai, they heard more explosions near them. Looking forward they saw two Z'Goks tearing apart some type 61 tanks, one of whom was red.

"I got the blue one, you take the other." Said Kai as he looked at Amuro's Gundam. The Gundam nodded before Amuro opened fire, firing a rocket at the Z'Goks. Just after he fired the rocket, however, the red Z'Gok turned and fired at the rocket, destroying it, shocking the two.

"The hell!?" Yelled Kai as he recovered. "How in the hell did he react so quickly?" Before either Amuro or Vega could speak, the red Z'Gok charged at the two Federation mobile suits, firing blasts from its mega particle cannons. They both either ducked down or boosted in time to avoid the shots, but the Z'Gok saw that coming. As the Gundam boosted out of the way, the red Z'Gok tackled the Gundam to the ground, its claws holding the Gundam's arms tightly, preventing it from aiming its guns. "Oh no you don't!" Kai then aimed his beam rifle at the red Z'Gok and was about to fire when alarms blared up in his cockpit. Grunting as he rolled to safety, he saw the other Z'Gok charging at him, claws at the ready. "Oh, come on!" The Guncannon then got up and started firing at the Z'Gok, who dodged them while firing back.

Meanwhile, Amuro grunted as the Z'Gok's eye glowed brightly, as if taunting him. It then lowered its head, preparing to fire its missiles. Before it could aim completely at the Gundam's chest, Amuro activated the thrusters, causing the Gundam to fly, bringing the Z'Gok with it.

" **Incoming bridge!"** Alerted Vega as a bridge came into sensor range. Getting an idea, Amuro increased the thrust power on the thrusters, making them go even faster. As if sensing what he was doing, the Z'Gok let go and jumped off the Gundam and firing its mega cannons. Detecting that they'll hit, despite the angle the Z'Gok fired the mega particle cannons. Boosting towards the right, the Gundam barely managed to avoid the beam blasts, which impacted on the ground, causing rock and dirt to fly up in the air. As the Gundam got up, the Z'Gok stared at it, as if daring it to come.

" **No doubt on it."** Thought Amuro as he looked at the red Z'Gok. "Its Char! He's come back t fight us!"

" **Fighting style mirrors the Red Comet. I'll start scanning it for weaknesses."** Said Vega before scanning the red Z'Gok. As the two mobile suits starred down, Char began to laugh.

" **So, this is the new Gundam."** Thought Char as he inspected the Gundam. **"Lot more weapons than the one I encountered, but it has the same pilot. I can sense it. That means I'll relish this. You're AI won't save you this time!"** Charging again, Char fired a barrage at the Gundam, who flew up in the air, firing its shoulder mounted beam weapon. Sensing where the beam was going, Char dodged in time before blasting at the shoulder beam weapon, destroying .With the weapon destroyed, Amuro fired the last rocket at Char while backing up. Blasting that rocket into oblivion, Char fired his head mounted missiles at the Gundam as a distraction. Seeing the attack for what it is, Amuro boosted to the side, letting the missiles hit the ceiling, before firing a multi-missile at Char along with two shots from the beam rifle. Smirking, Char put his Z'Gok to the test as he jumped and thrusted out of the path of all the missiles and beam blasts until he eventually got close enough to the Gundam that he could jump and impale it with the Z'Gok's iron claws. Seeing that Amuro was in shock from Char dodging all the missiles, Vega attempted to kick the Z'Gok, only for it twist its body to avoid the kick. It then retaliated by attempting to impale the cockpit. Shocked, Vega still managed to fly up, forcing the iron claws to hit the groin of the Gundam instead. He then flew back from the Z'Gok while firing another missile, forcing the Z'Gok to put off attacking the Gundam in order to avoid the barrage. Upon landing on the ground, Vega spoke to Amuro.

" **Are you alright?"** Asked Vega as Amuro shook his shock away.

"Yeah, thanks for getting us out of that." Said Amuro, shame filling him for freezing up. "Damnit. Is Char a New type or something?"

" **Either that or he has an AI. Even if he has one, there is not way that he could have avoided so many missiles without a scratch.** " Said Vega as he brought up a scan of the Z'Gok, allowing Amuro to analyze it. Frowning, Amuro studied the scan as Vega tried to keep the Red Comet at a distance.

" **Its not much, but…"** Thought Amuro as he inspected the scan. **"But if we can push Char too far enough, he may damage is own suit. Its risky, but we don't have many options."**

"Vega, new plan. We're going to force Char to overwork his own suit." Said Amuro.

" **Are you sure that's wise?"** Asked Vega.

"I'm sure." Said Amuro confidently. "It's the only way at the moment. He'll just keep predicting our moves, allowing him to dodge them all. So that means we have to overwork his machine to the point that a major system will blow out. It's our only shot."

" **Understood."** Said Vega before firing two more missiles at the Z'Gok in two different locations. Char then smirked.

"You think that'll work!?" Yelled Char as he dodged the micro missiles with ease. He would have shot at their carriers if it weren't for his water reserve being empty. Without any water to cool his reactor, he can't fire his mega particle cannons without causing the reactor to overheat. Not like he needed them to fight the Gundam. With the micro missiles all gone, Char charged again, once again putting strain on his suit. Seeing the Z'Gok coming after them, Amuro gritted his teeth as he flew back while firing everything he had left, including the missiles stored in various sections of the Gundam. With all his ammo spent, Amuro then brought out the beam sabers and readied himself for close quarters fighting.

" **Again. Don't you realize that this won't work, no matter how many missiles you fire?"** Thought Char as he dodged them all again. He was so caught up in dodging, that Char didn't realize he was putting his Z'Gok to the absolute limit, overworking. As soon as the barrage was nearly over, the Gundam charged in. As it neared the Z'Gok, it threw one beam saber and flew even faster. Sensing the two different threats, Char ducked the thrown beam saber before jumping to avoid the Gundam. Unfortunately, the Gundam just course corrected and flew up, catching the Z'Gok. Gritting his teeth, Char attempted to use the iron claws to destroy the large back pack of the Gundam, but he couldn't reach it. He then tried to get off the Gundam, but it was too late. It tackled the Z'Gok to the ceiling before flying away and slicing a leg off. **"Damn you!"** Thought Char before forcing his Z'Gok off and flying toward the Gundam, catching it off guard. Tackling it to the ground, Char was about to finish the Gundam right there and now when warning signs blared all over the cockpit.

"What!?" Yelled Char, looking over a screen showcasing his Z'Gok's status. Upon figuring out the problem, he slammed his fist on the controls, disorienting them. "No!" The Z'Gok was overworked, to the point that systems were freezing up and sparks were flying all over the mobile suits. Seizing this chance, the Gundam brought out its beam saber and attempted to destroy the Z'Gok, only for Char to fly away. That action, however, caused sparks to fly in the cockpit. Gritting his teeth again, Char realized he couldn't fight anymore and had to retreat.

" **You survive this time, little Gundam.** " Thought Char as he saw it get up. **"But you won't be lucky the next time that we fight!"** With that, Char ordered his remaining Z'Gok to give him cover while he retreated. He also contacted Braskinev and told him to cover him as well. With that, Char began to long trek back to the submarine, hoping that his mobile suit will hold up until he arrives. Seeing the Red Comet trying to retreat, the Gundam pursued.

"You're not getting away!" Yelled Amuro as the Gundam pursued. As the Z'Gok flew away, the Gundam chased after it. The Gundam was within striking distance when Vega alerted Amuro of a large mobile suit approaching them and was locking onto them. Hearing that, he stopped pursuit and fell to the ground, just as several mega cannon blasts flew and hit the ceiling. Once they hit the ground, the Gundam turned around and saw the Zock coming at them, preparing to fire them again. With no weapons, aside from a pair of beam sabers, the Gundam began to fly away, knowing that the Zock will follow, which soon did, firing all its got at the Gundam.

"This is Amuro!" Yelled Amuro as they barely dodged in time to avoid four mega particle shots from turning the Gundam into molten slag. "I need help! I got a new enemy mobile suit barreling down on me! I need support!"

"This is Burning! We're on our way! Just hold on!" Yelled Burning as the Immortal 4th charged to where Amuro was, their AIs giving them directions.

"Kai, here!" Yelled Kai as he finished off his Zock, who foolishly tried to tackle him, only for Kai to fly up and blast him with his beam rifle. "Got one shot left in the beam rifle. Just lead it to me and I'll take care of it." Kai then heard a large blast coming from the west of his position. Believing that was Amuro, Kai moved towards the blast area.

"Alright, Kai. I hope you're ready." Said Amuro as he lead the Zock toward Kai, who was fast approaching the Gundam. As the Zock fired another barrage, the Gundam flew over the Guncannon, who landed on its back from the whiplash of the Gundam's speed. Before Kai could shout at Amuro, the Zock suddenly whizzed past it. Upon seeing it, Kai turned the Guncannon on its stomach and aimed at the Zock. Not wasting time, he fired the beam rifle directly at the Zock's visor. As the shot went out the other side of the visor, the Zock stopped and looked directly at the Guncannon with its glowing yellow eye.

"Ah shit." Said Kai before getting up and diving out of the way as the Zock primed to fire its back mega particle cannons. It was about to fire when three rockets impacted it at the sides.

"Take this, you piece of junk!" Yelled Chap as he reloaded and fired his bazooka again while the rest charged in, beam sabers at the ready.

"Go in fast! Don't let it get a lock on!" Yelled Burning as he went around the Zock as it recovered. Once it did, it aimed at Monsha's GM. Seeing this, the GM flew up into the air and side boosted to the right to avoid the Zock. Seeing it was pointless to engage the flying GM, it tried to aim at Chap, who fired another rocket at the Zock. After enduring the rocket, the Zock prepared to fire, only to have Burning's GM charge in and stab the Zock in the eye, rendering it blind. He then proceeded to hold the Zock in place, who tried to grab him with its tiny arms to no avail. Seizing the chance, Alpha stabbed the Zock in the hover legs, which spasmed out from the damage. Now blind and immobile, the Zock couldn't do anything as Monsha arrived with Amuro. The two then stabbed the Zock in the area below the visor of the Zock, which was where the pilot was. With the pilot now dead, the Zock stayed still until Monsha kicked it, sending it falling to the ground with a massive thud.

"Yeah! Take that!" Yelled Monsha, his GM's arms over its head. As Monsha cheered, the Gundam looked at Burning's GM.

"Thanks. We couldn't have taken it down without you." Said Amuro.

"No problem." Said Burning with a smile. "Its what we're here for."

"Yeah, but guys, we got a situation." Said Hayato as he arrived with the Guntank.

"Let me guess. More Zeons and we have to help?" Asked Kai as he arrived with Chap.

"Unfortunately, yes." Said Hayato. "Another Zeon task force is about to overwhelm one of the docks. Not to mention a team of Zeon mobile suits are wrecking havoc in one of Jaburo's city blocks. All available units are supposed to head in either location."

"Damnit. We don't have enough ammo and weapons to make a difference." Said Chap. "Are there any other units available?"

"A GM team is arriving to stop the enemies already in Jaburo. We're closer, however." Burning bit his lip as he wondered on what to do. They barely had enough ordnance to fight and if they didn't do something quick, a lot more people were going to die. Fortunately, Amuro gave the answer.

"I'll go to the docks." Said Amuro, surprising everyone. "I'm the fastest here. I can reach to the docks in time. The rest of you go and take out that Zeon team that breached our defense lines."

"No way, I'm coming with you." Said Kai as he stepped forward. "My ordnance aren't good in a city scape anyway. We stick together, Amuro. No matter what." Amuro was about to protest when Burning stepped forward.

"He's right. The Guncannon's cannons aren't good in a city environment. He could cause unnecessary damage to the area. Take Kai with you, Amuro. You could use the backup." Sighing, Amuro looked at Kai's Guncannon.

"Alright, but I'm going fast. No argument." Kai nodded.

"Here kid, you'll need this." Said Chap as he gave his bazooka to Kai. "Your computers should be able to accept the weapon in time when you arrive to assist that dock."

"Alright, thanks." Said Kai as he grabbed the bazooka. "Let's get going!" Nodding, Amuro put the Gundam to the limit as he flew to the docks with Vega making the necessary course correction so they don't crash into a building or wall. As both the Gundam and Guncannon left, Burning looked at everyone.

"Alright, they got their problem, we got ours! Let's go!" Yelled Burning before running to where the enemy mobile suit team was with his team and the Guntank in tow.

* * *

 **Dock 2**

* * *

"Damnit!" Yelled Chris as he dodged a swing from a Gouf. A custom version from the looks of it. The Gouf fired it wire cable at Chris's Guncannon, but the Guncannon simply ducked before grabbing the wire and pulling it with all the Guncannon's strength, forcing the Gouf to follow in surprise. He then punched the Gouf in the face, actually dislodging the thing's heat grill's cables, before kicking it in the stomach, making the Gouf step back. Glaring at the Guncannon, the Gouf heated up its sword before charging in again. As it neared the Guncannon, who prepared its fists, the Gouf suddenly flew up, going past the shocked Chris, before landing and stabbing it in the backpack. Though the Luna titanium held, the Gouf pulled out its sword from the backpack and was about to swing again when it received a barrage of vulcan fire from Scourge, who charged in and tackled the Gouf to the ground.

" **We need to retreat."** Said Scourge as the Gouf began to get up. Scourge would have shot him, but the Guncannon had long since ran out of ammo. He couldn't even resupply in time when he dropped off Agar near the Blanc Rival before he was forced to come back on the front lines.

"You're telling me! Leon! We need to leave! Give us covering fire!" Yelled Chris before he retreated to the final defense line with Scourge. The two Guncannons endured some fire from a Dom and a Zaku, but the two endured the hits, their armor not failing them.

"Eat this, Zekes!" Yelled Leon as he and two GMs opened fire with bazookas, forcing the Zeons to stop and move into cover via walls or entranceways. Once the two Guncannons were safe behind friendly lines, the Federation suits held firm, waiting for the Zeons to pop their heads in so they could shoot them.

"Damn." Yelled Chris as he checked his weapons, seeing that he had nothing left. "Agar! Where the hell is that new Gundam!?"

"Its coming soon! Had to yell at the engineers on deploying, but the sounds of gunfire convinced them. They're getting anxious with how close the Zeons are." Said Agar as the Mudrock began to activate within the Blanc Rival's hanger.

"They should." Said Leon as he noticed that only a few hundred meters of open ground was separating them from the Zeons. If they had smoke grenades, then they just needed to use them and they're all gone. None of them were experts in close combat. Chris maybe, but the Guncannon was not designed with close combat in mind. "Hope reinforcements get here in time. Otherwise, they're just be counting our corpses." Agar nodded as the Mudrock began to leave the Blanc Rival's hanger. He'll even welcome the White Base team, even if he didn't like their guts, especially after how they handled Kai's little treasonous act. They were lucky he owed them, otherwise he would have brought this up to high command.

" **If we get saved by them, then I'm buying those guys a drink. And maybe an apology."** Thought Agar as the Mudrock got out of the hanger and to where the rest of the Federation suits were.

* * *

 **Midnight Fenrir Team**

* * *

"Any smoke grenades, Sofia?" Asked Manning as he looked at Sofia's Dom, who was hugging a wall along with Roher's new Gouf custom. Sofia, their newest member along with a lieutenant Sandra, just shook her head.

"Used the last ones in the last firefight." Said Sofia with regret. "Got any Sandra?" Sandra, who was piloting a Zaku I like Manning, made her Zaku give a thumbs up.

"Just give the word and I'll throw what I have at the enemy." Said Sandra. Renchef, piloting a standard Gouf, looked at her.

"Then let's go! Those Feddies won't stand a chance in close combat." Said Renchef.

"Agreed." Said Roher. "So, here's the plan." As Roher told them his plan, Manning thought of what happened.

To say the Midnight Fenrir had a bad month since Odessa was putting it lightly. Quite frankly, it was a disaster. Not only did they lose four pilots to the Federation, particularly that Gundam of the Trojan Horse, who the brass are now calling the White Devil, they also lost most of their mobile suits in the fighting in Odessa, severely limiting their combat effectiveness. The Federation AI-equipped units have proven to be quite effective in large battlefield as they allowed Federation pilots to survive engagements with more experienced Zeon pilots. Schmitzer had to pull a few strings with the supply corps to give them new suits along with their new pilots, who were eager to get involved in the Midnight Fenrir anyway. Though they knew they couldn't replace the ones they lost, the two women were still willing to honor their sacrifice by fighting against the Federation. And now, they have a chance to prove it by taking part in this assault on Jaburo. If they win here, then there's a good chance the Federation will surrender. And Matt was willing to do what is necessary for them to win.

" **This is for you Nikki."** Thought Matt as he checked his bazooka. The Midnight Fenrir was about to enact their plan when they received a transmission from Schmitzer himself.

"Attention all Midnight Fenrir pilots." Said Schmitzer with a hint of regret and anger. "We've been ordered to retreat immediately. All remaining Zeon forces are to retreat now." Upon hearing that, everyone looked at each other in shock.

"What the hell!?" Yelled Renchef as he yelled at Schmitzer. "I ain't leaving! We can still win this! This battle isn't even finished! What is this bullshit!?"

"You may be winning on your side, but not everyone else!" Yelled Schmitzer. "Everyone else is either dead or about to be captured by the Federation. Even the Red Comet is retreating. To make matters worse, Federation reinforcements are arriving to reinforce that dock! Including the White Devil himself. You can't survive them and the enemy suits that are there already! Retreat now! That's an order!" Roher grimaced at that before telling everyone to follow the orders.

"He's right people. It'll be foolhardy of us to waste our lives. Especially if the Federation comes and takes California base after this." Everyone then looked at each other, knowing that he was right. Nearly every single mobile suits from California base was deployed in this gamble. They thought that, if they won in Jaburo, the risk would be worth it. But it hadn't. They lost nearly every single mobile suits along with many Gaws and because of that, California base was ripe for a counter attack. That meant that, in order for them to be useful, they would have to retreat with any surviving forces and hope that they can survive the attempts to go back to the California base. Sofia and Sandra sighed, knowing that it was distasteful but necessary. They were disappointed that they're first mission would the Midnight Fenrir ended so badly for Zeon, but it would be foolhardy of them to throw away their lives right now. Manning clenched his controls, but complied with Roher, knowing that Schmitzer was right. Only Renchef was thinking of staying and fighting the Federation more, but his own adherence to orders and his trust in Schmitzer overruled his want to fight. Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Roher ordered Sandra to use her smoke grenades to cover their retreat. Nodding, the Zaku I threw its remaining smoke grenades, creating a large thick smoke screen for the mobile suits.

"Here they come!" Yelled Chris as the Federation suits readied themselves for another fight.

"Just hold them off for a few more minutes! Reinforcements are arriving soon." Yelled Agar as he aimed the Mudrock's cannons at the smoke screen, ready to blast the enemy to smithereens. After a few minutes, however, the Federation mobile suits looked at each other.

"What the hell are they doing?" Asked Chris as he saw the smoke screen beginning to thin out. "Why aren't they attacking?"

"They must have used it as an escape." Said Leon as he stood down.

" **Statistics show that being a 90 percent probability, which increases further to a hundred if they realized that reinforcements are inbound."** Said Scourge. **"Still advise to remain here. Strategic position to valuable if enemy is simply trying to wait us out."**

"Agreed." Said Agar. Though it wasn't to his likening. He learned from Odessa and in Belfast that rushing head on without proper knowledge of the enemy's plans was a good way to get himself killed. "Wait here until reinforcements arrive." Everyone agreed to that and waited for reinforcements to arrive. Once the smoke subsided, everyone realized that the smoke screen was a means to cover the Zeons retreat. Which was made more apparent when reinforcements came soon after in the form of the Full Armor Gundam, a Guncannon that was a few minutes late of the Gundam, and a team of three GMs. Seeing the Federation mobile suits, the defense team of dock 2 stood down.

"Oh thank god! We're here!" Yelled out a Federation pilot from the defense team. Upon seeing the Federation defense team, the reinforcements stood down and went to them.

"We're here, what's the situation?" Asked Amuro as the Full Armor walked to the defense team. He was slightly surprised to see another Gundam, but shook it off.

"We're fine." Said Agar, marching up to the Full Armor with his own Gundam. "The enemy retreated a few minutes before you arrived." Seeing the Guncannon, Agar assumed it was Kai. Twitching upon remembering Kai, Agar shook off his tiny disgust and squashed it aside. "Must have retreated when they learned that reinforcements were coming."

 **"Possibly. All other entranceways reported in. All enemies have been either captured or destroyed."** Said Vega through the radio. **"Aside from a small team that is being dealt with at the moment, your dock was the only remaining Zeon presence left in Jaburo."** Agar nodded at that. That was good. Very good.

"Alright, just help us sweep the area and we're done." Said Agar. Amuro nodded before proceeding to help with sweeping for stragglers.

* * *

 **Few hours later**

 **White Base**

* * *

"You're sure?" Asked Bright, shocked. To hear that Char, after a long absence from the battlefield, participated in the assault of Jaburo was a shock to him. He'll need to inform high command of this. He was relieved that Amuro pushed him back before he could do damage to Jaburo, but to hear that Char gave Amuro and Vega trouble, despite the advantage that Vega brought, was concerning. Very concerning.

"Yes sir." Said Amuro. "He just…kept dodging our attacks. It was only after we caused him to overwork his mobile suit that we managed to survive. I think he's a New type." Bright frowned at that. That wasn't good. If even half of what he heard of New types were true, then they were in trouble. Especially if Char was one. He'll definitely need to report this to high command.

"Alright, if that is all, then you're free to go." Said Bright. With that done, Amuro saluted Bright before leaving. Sighing to himself, he looked at his crew, wondering what they'll do with their shore leave. Upon looking at Sayla, however, he raised an eyebrow. To his surprise, she held a look of surprise on her face, likely that fact that Char was back. But underneath that all, she held pain and hurt in her eyes. Frowning, Bright thought back to his theory that she was Artesia Deikun.

" **She's giving out signs."** Thought Bright. " **I don't want to order her over a theory, but…if she knows something about Char, she needs to reveal it soon. Or else Char will hurt or kill one of us."**


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

 **RedRat8- Yeah, I always felt like Burning would get along with most of the protagonists of the main series of the UC timeline, like Kamille and Judau.**

 **War is he**. I'm not one to deny that. That's why I like the Gundam series (Well most of them.), they usually have the theme of war being awful as a central part of what makes a Gundam series a Gundam series.**

 **As for interactions between Lalah and Amuro, I'm not going to spoil it but it'll be somewhat different than what happened in canon.**

 **R reyes- Its going to be short, but I think it's going to be decent.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- Aside from Hayato gaining a Guncannon as replacement for the Guntank, not yet. But after Solomon, they're going to get a new suit or two.**

 **The next two chapters (I hope) will just be the necessary "boring" chapters. There won't be any action in these chapters with the 3** **rd** **one being a short one with little action.**

* * *

 **Revil**

* * *

"What are our losses?" Asked Revil as he and Kowen were going over the casualty reports on the Zeon recent offense on Jaburo. To be frank, both were surprised they sent such a small force against Jaburo. This meant they either were low on manpower or they severely underestimated their defenses. Whether the case is, this attack may have given them an opportunity to retake California base, the last major Zeon foothold on Earth.

"If I'm being honest, not that much." Said Kowen, surprised at the number of casualties they received. "Out of the three hundred GMs we deployed, we only lost twenty of them. Some damage to a city block, but no civilian casualties. Thank god. Some type 61 tanks were lost including their crews, but aside from that, combined with the losses of our GMs and from the initial barrage, we only lost a few hundred men." Revil nodded at that. Compared to the hundred thousand strong garrison of Jaburo, that was ridiculously small. A big boon for them.

"Do you think we can retake the California base from the Zeons after this assault?" Asked Revil, looking at Kowen, who just finished his own report.

"I don't doubt it." Said Kowen. "Our spies believe that the Zeons sent nearly, if not all of them, all of their mobile suits guarding the California base to this assault. General Marcus is already assembling a task force to retaking California base. Its going to be compromised of a hundred and fifty GMs along with five million soldiers with the necessary armor and air support. Along with that, I heard the Blanc Rival and its complement of mobile suits will assist in taking the fight for the California base." Revil nodded at that. That should be more than enough to retaking the California base, especially if the rumors about the Zeons evacuating from Earth were true. According to their space forces, the Zeons have been sending Musais to Earth. Their ships couldn't get any closer to investigate, but according to them, they've spotted HLVs leaving Earth's atmosphere and the Musais were picking them up. That lead people to think that Zeon was evacuating their forces from Earth. Considering the massive losses they took from Odessa along with the botched assault on Jaburo, Revil could see the Zeons abandoning Earth.

"Well, I wish Marcus luck. I just hope he can retake the California base relatively intact. Its production facilities will prove invaluable in the war." Kowen nodded at that. Though not as extensive as Jaburo's own facilities, the California base can still produce a respectable number of mobile suits once they've been reconfigured to the task. "Moving on, I read the report concerning the Red Comet. What I've read, has me…concerned." Kowen nodded at that. Having both seen the report and the video provided to them from the Gundam's AI, high command was concerned when they saw the Red Comet was not only holding his own against the Gundam, but was actually winning against it. The footage caused some generals and admirals to approve of a new project that was being headed by a defected Zeon scientist. Though Revil nor Kowen knew much of the project, they did know that it was designed to combat New types and that it was called the EXAM system.

"Indeed. If Zeon has made these New types a reality, we may need this EXAM system." Said Kowen, unsure of what to feel of this new project. While he could agree that they needed an effective combat system against Zeon New types, especially if they're as powerful as Zeon Zum Deikun claimed they would be, he wasn't sure how they could achieve it. He meet the Zeon scientist once and when he asked how he planned to achieve the EXAM system, the man simply smiled, unnerving the admiral, and said that he'll do it by using their own against them. That answer was both cryptic and concerning to Kowen.

"Indeed." Said Revil, hiding his own concerns of the EXAM project. "Let's just hope it won't cost us our moral high ground that we just get. We need it if we're going to convince the other sides to aid in defeating Side 3. Speaking of the sides, are you sure that you can convince Side 6 to help us?" Kowen nodded.

"Of course." Said Kowen. "Have you've forgotten that I was born there?" Revil simply closed his eyes.

"How could I forget? I'm not that old. I'm only in my early sixties, after all." Kowen chuckled at that.

"Anyway, I'm sure I can convince them to, at least, allow us to use Side 6 as a staging ground for our forces. Quite frankly, Side 6's council is, in crude words, pissed off at Zeon for their attempt to use nuclear missiles during Odessa, especially since the Zeons were the ones that demanded that be put in the Antarctic treaty." Revil nodded at that. Though he didn't get much, Side 2, 4, and 6 were all considering siding with the Federation once word broke out that the Zeons have attempted to use a nuclear missile during the high of operation Odessa. Though everyone knew that violations of the Antarctic treaty occurred from both sides, usually the term that POWs are to be treated humanely, a nuclear missile was a big violation that caught the attention of even the more ignorant and uncaring Spacenoid. Though Zeon sympathizers claimed that the commander responsible for the violation would have been punished had he not committed suicide, that didn't matter to the masses, who were already enraged at the Zeons for destroying Side 5, leaving a shoal zone that was called the Thunderbolt Sector, and their indiscriminate killing of civilians at the start of the war. It was only because of the Antarctic treaty and the fear that Zeon will go for them next, did the remaining sides choose a stance of neutrality in the conflict, aside from Side 1, which was the space capital of the Federation, as well as calming the masses within the Sides. The fact that the Zeons violated a term that they themselves wanted to be added to the Antarctic treaty, just lit the fuel of the fury of the other sides. Now, according to Federation sympathizers and patriots, the councils of each sides were currently in the talks of siding with the Federation against the Zeons, who many civilians in the sides believe have lost their initial purpose.

Upon hearing that, Kowen had put forward the idea of negotiating with the sides with the idea of convincing them to help them out militarily and/or economically. Even though the Federation military might was vast, enough to eclipse the might of Side 6, which was the strongest, bar the Principality of Zeon's forces, of the sides, several times over, it was still nice to have a bunch of more guns pointed at the enemy. Though they all used older, now obsolete, ships, like the old Aegis cruiser and Lance corvette, its better than nothing. Though some admirals though it was a waste of time, Kowen got approval from the Federation council to go forward with his plan so long as he didn't promise the sides that they'll receive autonomy from the Federation or lesser tax rates on them for their service against Side 3. Which was why he was going to Side 6, his home Side. If he can convince them to ally with the Federation, the other sides will see it's better to be with the Federation over the Zeons, thus giving them an easier time when negotiating with them. There was also the fact that, if they get them to ally with the Federation, they can use Side 6 as a staging ground for their forces to attack Zeon space stations and fortresses.

"I hope that you succeed, Kowen." Said Revil. "We may be winning on the surface of Earth, but if we're going to win the war, we need to chalk up victories in space. And to do that smoothly, we need to get the other sides to join us in the fight with Zeon."

"Of course." Said Kowen. "I'll do my best." With that Kowen looked at the holographic table that was before them. "Beyond that though, we'll need to talk about our forces and where to deploy them. We can't afford the same casualties we did at the start of the war." Revil nodded grimly, recalling the battle of Loum and the disastrous losses the Federation suffered at that battle along with operation British.

Prior to the start of the war, the Federation was at the height of its power. They had a total of seven thousand warships with the necessary support ships. Six thousand and five hundred of those were Salamis cruisers with the rest being Magellan battleships. They had decommissioned or gave the last of their older Aegis cruisers and Lance corvettes to various Sides to help pay for the massive military buildup and transfer. It was expensive, but they reached the seven thousand mark a mere three days before the war began. When the war started, some admirals laughed. The Zeon military, at its height, had, at most, three thousand and two hundred ships, most of which were Musai light cruiser. While they were powerful ships, Revil wouldn't deny that, a Salamis usually won due to longer range beam weapons and missiles. There was also the fact that most of Zeon's warships were converted from civilian starships that, at best, only received giant mega cannons and missile launchers. Many Federation officers thought that they shouldn't even take it seriously. Most of those men and women were dead now. Ironically most of them died during Operation British, where they died from Mobile suit attacks. They lost seven hundred warships that day while the enemy lost only two hundred ships. That day would forever be remembered as a mark of shame for the Federation space force and all of humanity actually, considering a colony was dropped on Earth, killing millions more.

After operation British, the Federation finally decided to take the Zeons seriously and sent Revil, commander of the Federation's 1st fleet, along with Tianem, commander of the 2nd fleet, to take the fight to Side 3 and teach them a lesson. They heard that they were attempting to use another colony from Side 5 as a weapon against Earth, so the two fleets converged on the Zeon fleet, hoping to stop them. Before the battle began, Revil had a tenth of his fleet evacuate civilians from Side 5, something that would make him sort of a hero among Side 5 remaining populace. It was during that evacuation did the enemy came, loaded with nuclear weapons. The resulting battle was a slaughter. Not to just Federation and Zeon, but to humanity itself. So many were lost that day, whether due to mobile suits, ship mega cannons, or nuclear missile strike, it didn't matter. It was only due to Tianem's fleet that Revil's surviving ships managed to escape. The Zeons were so busy fighting his stragglers that they failed to realize that Tianem was arriving. With a vengeance, the Federation reinforcements struck the enemy ships, whose mobile suits were either too far away to help or were out of any useful ammo to actually be of any assistance. Though Tianem did suffer casualties, it was far less to what Revil and the Zeon suffered. Seeing that they'll lose more than they gain, Dozle retreated, using an eighth of his surviving ships to cover the retreat of the others. The ships that gave covering fire to the retreating Zeon forces were all destroyed, but according to Tianem, they fought to the last man.

"They fought with everything they had. They even tried ramming their ships into my own when they couldn't recharge their cannons fast enough." Claimed Tianem when he told Revil when he was returned back to Federation space. Considering that Tianem wasn't one to exaggerate, Revil was certain that most of Zeon's most fanatical followers were in that fleet as, if all of Zeon's soldiers were that stubborn, this war would have been over a long time ago.

After the battle was over, the casualty report wasn't one to look at with lightheartedly. According to reports, over 3 thousand warships were destroyed at that battle. When the Antarctic treaty was signed, combining those two large battles with other skirmishes, the Zeons had only eighteen hundred ships remaining and were struggling to build more while the Federation had five thousand ships. And since they had to relocate a thousand to protect Side one and Earth, they had four thousand ships to work with. While they could easily steamroll the Zeons with those numbers still, the massive loss of life would cripple the Federation. Recruitment would plummet if people saw that the Federation would just throw bodies against their enemies, criminal gangs will run rampart because the military was too weak to respond, resulting in more rebel groups forming to fight the Federation. If they wanted to win this war and maintain a stable economy and military, they needed to play smart.

"Yes." Said Revil, done recalling Loum and British. "Are the ships ready to depart?" During the war, Jaburo had been pumping out warship after warship, at the time it was due to military jarheads wanting more ships just because, but now, after Loum and Operation British, both Loum and Luna II were building new Salamis and Magellan ships to help rebuild the Federation's fighting strength. While Luna built two Salamis every week with a Magellan every fifteen days, Jaburo built five Salamis cruisers and two Magella every week. Combining those built during the war with the ships already in storage, they had five hundred and fifty new ships just waiting to be pressed into service.

"They all are." Said Kowen. "We just need clear the skies for them to head to space safely. We're still getting reports of Zeon forces trying to intercept our convoys." Revil sighed at that. These Zeons were tenacious. Very tenacious.

"Let's hope your cover will be sufficient. I don't want to hear you dying during your attempt to leave Earth." Said Revil.

"It'll be an ironic way to go, considering I'm a Spacenoid." Said Kowen. Revil nodded at that. "I'm assuming you'll be leaving with the bulk of the ships, correct?"

"Correct." Said Revil. "Most of them have been assigned to the 1st fleet. Once we're in space, I'll rendezvous with Tianem and the rest of the 1st fleet. From there, we'll discuss more about our plan of attack on Zeon."

"Considering the defenses they have, we can't launch an attack on their homeland. Not yet." Said Kowen, before he showcased a 3D map showcasing the star system. In front of Side 3, some distance away, was two asteroid fortresses, Solomon and A Bao Qu, two of Zeon's most fortified fortresses. A Bao Qu guarded the most direct route to Side 3, any other route would take too long, allowing Zeon to prepare a static defense while Solomon guarded all the routes that allowed led to A Bao Qu that one would want to take if they want to take on A Bao Qu without wasting too much fuel on getting to the asteroid base. If the Federation wanted to win the war, they needed to take those two asteroids. "With those two asteroids, we can't invade Side 3. Not without having Zeon forces shoot at us from behind." Revil nodded. Though Zeon had other asteroid bases as well as Granada, one of the cities on the moon, they were either too insignificant to be a bother or were too far away to assist in time. Really, they just needed to take Solomon and A Bao Qu, invade Side 3 and take Degwin Zabi into custody and the war will be over. They just had to find the means to do so while avoiding as many casualties as possible.

"I've heard that Tianem has a new weapon that can help." Said Revil, looking at Solomon. "He had to pull a few strings with Anaheim, but he assured me that this weapon will be ready when the time to attack Solomon has come." Kowen raised an eyebrow at that.

"And what would that weapon be?" Asked Kowen. He may not like Tianem for his earthnoid supremacy views, but he knew that Tianem was a good admiral that cared for his soldiers. He also acted within the rules of engagement enacted by the Antarctic treaty. So whatever weapon he had, it had to be within those laws.

"He didn't saw. He did, however, assure me that it won't violate any laws set by the Antarctic treaty." Said Revil. Kowen nodded at that. That was fine with him. He knew Tianem and he wasn't a liar when it comes to something like a weapon. "Is there anything you like to discuss?"

"Actually yes." Said Kowen. "How do you feel about the White Base crew?" Revil looked at his fellow admiral and friend with a bit of surprise.

"Sad that they're involved in the war so young and anger at the Federation for not providing much support for them when the departed Luna II. I could blame myself for that as well, I'm not going to deny that I should have done more, but I still feel anger and annoyance for the providing them only a occasional supply drop for so long." Kowen nodded at that.

"But the actual crew?" Revil stroked his beard at that, obviously trying to find the right words.

"They held more remarkably well for being just civilians." Said Revil. "Dare I say it, but they do better than most of our soldiers under the circumstances they were put into. I suppose we should thank their captain for being such a good leader."

"Palo choose his first officer well." Said Kowen, thinking of the original captain of the White Base. "He would be proud at the young officer for being such an understanding and caring individual he is. I'm honestly surprised he hadn't lost his temper at dealing with so many teenagers. He must have good amount of patience's and understanding."

* * *

 **White Base**

* * *

"What! Are! You! Thinking!? Saying such things to a teenager while you're over ten years her age!? Not to mention she's the daughter of the sectary of general Revil himself! Do you have a brain!?" Yelled Bright as he slapped Monsha around like practice dummy.

"Oh c'mon!" Yelled Monsha as he rubbed his cheek. The guy can slap. That's for sure. "You got to admit that she'll be pounced on by people her age when she grows up. She'll get a figure, I tell you!" He then received another slap for that remark.

"I would say that this is excessive." Said Chap as he saw Alpha trying to keep in his laughter. "But, quite frankly, Monsha deserves it. Quite a while actually." Burning just nodded as Bright continued to discipline Monsha. Even though Monsha was effectively scared of the younger man, a feat that impressed Burning, the fool of a teammate just didn't know when to shut up. He'll need to talk to Monsha about his mouth after this. But after a few more minutes. Monsha deserved it after flirting with so many women and making most of them uncomfortable with his continuous flirting. Once it seemed Bright was done, Mirai, the daughter of Shu Yashima, came to break to two up. At first it seemed that she would succeed, but then Monsha whistled.

"Hot damn!" Said Monsha with a smirk, leaning over to get a good look on Mirai. "How about you and I get away and have some alone time. I'll give the best time of your life." Getting what he was implying, Mirai slapped him and backed off. Facepalming, Burning couldn't help but shake his head as Bright, seemingly revitalized, went on another slapping and rebuke session that would make a drill sergeant be proud.

" **Okay, make that twenty minutes now."** Thought Burning as the rest of the crew either laughed or went back to their duty, feeling sorry for Monsha. If only a little.

* * *

 **Revil and Kowen**

* * *

"Somehow I doubt that." Said Revil, feeling that fate was proving Kowen wrong right now. "Anyway, I hope that the White Base crew will be safe in your hands. They deserve it after all this." Kowen smiled at that.

"They will be." Said Kowen. "I'll make sure they'll be with my ship at all cost. I actually need a Pegasus carrier anyway. We only have a handful of those." Revil nodded. As of now, they only had five in service. The rest were being built with different specs. Rapid advancement of technology had caused the R&D eggheads to deviate from the original Pegasus design to better accommodate new technologies. From what he heard, the next three Pegasus carriers, Gray Phantom, Thoroughbred, and Stallion, were built using new tech that wasn't available during the White Base's construction. Though they'll be similar in appearance to the White Base, they'll be different enough a different designation needed to be given to them. The R&D division already called the three ships flight three with White Base being flight one and the Blanc Rival being flight two. Allowing the designation to be kept, high command had ordered production of future Pegasus carriers to follow flight three specs with the remaining Pegasus carriers being updated to be more up to date with their younger brethren. The White Base, in particular, being given upgraded carrying capacity and, not to everyone's shock, an AI.

When analysts had made it clear that AI equipped mobile suits had a far better kill ratio than those without as well as helping pilots with making advanced tactics, some of the more radical and maverick admirals and generals proposed giving their ships an AI. The idea that they'll help with targeting acquisition and help give commanders a bigger picture along with giving tactical advice. Some, mostly from paranoid or traditionalists, protested, claiming that it was too risky and that they're giving AIs far too much power. What would happen if one was reprogrammed, or worse, a mass rebellion happened with the AIs wanting freedom and rights. They were countered by saying only a handful of ships would get one as a precaution and that the majority won't receive one. They also said that they already had plans to eventually integrate AIs into all future mobile suits once it was economically feasible to do so. And since mobile suits were effective ship killers, there's no point in not having an AI on a ship. The two sides went back and forth, giving pros and cons of both sides, until eventually a compromise was made. Aside from the White Base, only ship captains and admirals can volunteer to have an AI installed on their ship but only to a maximum on five hundred. Surprisingly, most Pegasus assault carrier captains volunteered along with a handful of other ship captains. Selina had, after going through the backgrounds of most the of the captains, claimed that it was because most had seen AIs in action or have been in extensive contact with them that they don't see them as a threat. Rather as a useful tool that shouldn't be forsaken. Its either that or it was due to recommendations from their mobile suit teams, who all had, at minimum, one AI in their team.

But the most surprise came when Tianem had volunteered to have one. When asked, Tianem just shrugged.

"They're an effective tool." Said Tianem. "One that'll help us win the war. Besides, I can use on with our new weapon." That was all Tianem said before going back to his task of maintaining Luna II's remaining fleets.

"This new weapon must be engineering extensive if he needs an AI." Said Kowen, remembering his words.

"Or he wants to ensure that he hits the enemy and not us." Said Revil. Kowen nodded at that. "Well, I need to get a quick meal before I go to sleep. It's been a long day." Kowen nodded at that.

"Agreed." Said Kowen. "Tomorrow will be even busier for us." Revil just sighed at that. Of course, it would.

* * *

 **Later**

 **Jeep**

 **Jaburo city block 14**

* * *

"So, this is where your family lives?" Asked Amuro as he drove around one of Jaburo's many city blocks. Both Chan and he were currently driving to where her family lived. After gaining permission from Bright, the two were on their way to Chan's family, both as a means to relax and as a means to get to know Chan's family. As he drove, Amuro couldn't help but feel nervous.

He was about to meet his friend's family. A friend that he was thinking that he had a crush on. What would they think of him? Would they approve of him? Would they be fine that Chan is in a relationship with a military pilot? Oh boy, he was just nervous. Tugging his collar, he looked at Chan, who was looking at all the buildings that composed the city block. Eventually, she spotted the one that her family was in, as claimed by her mother when they last spoke. Telling Amuro where to park, the two entered the building and went to the apartment that the Agis' took residence in. As they traveled in the elevator, Amuro sighed to himself before asking Chan a question.

"So, Chan. What do you plant to do after this war is over?" Asked Amuro. Looking over, Chan thought of how to respond.

"Well, continue my career in the military. I know that military life doesn't sound appealing to most, especially if they get a taste of combat, but there's something…special of being in the military for me. If I leave after the war, I feel like I'll be abandoning a lot of people." Amuro nodded at that, wondering if he could leave the military life too now. If asked prior at the start of his journey in the White base, he would have done so now. But now, he just wasn't sure. Scratching his head, he then thought of Vega and how would become of him, especially now that there are more AIs like him out there.

"What do you think the Federation will do to Vega?" Asked Amuro, worried for his friend. "Do you think they'll decommission him?" Shaking her head, Chan responded quickly.

"Of course not. He's too valuable to do that. Besides, he's software, they can easily upgrade him to be a match for newer models of artificial intelligence." Amuro nodded. Still, he was worried that he'll be treated differently by his new pilot should Amuro leave his life in the military. Vega was tough, sure, he'll deal with it should his pilot be an ass. Still, Amuro didn't want his friend having to deal with a jerk if he can say anything about it. Aside from that, though, Amuro wasn't sure if he could leave the life in the military. His skills in combat were matched only by his technical skills. Even if he could get a job in Anaheim or something similar, he wasn't sure he would feel like that he belonged there. In the cockpit of a mobile suit, he felt right at home. And that was a scary thought.

" ***Sighs*** Chan," Upon hearing her name, Chan looked at Amuro. Upon hearing the slightly scared tone from Amuro, she looked at him in worry.

"What is it?" Asked Chan as the elevator stopped in the floor they needed to be on. As they walked, Amuro spoke his concerns.

"When I first became a pilot of the White Base, I didn't want to stay in the military anymore than I wanted to. I just wanted to keep everyone safe and, once we're safely delivered to Jaburo, I would leave and never go back. But now, I'm not so sure. I feel…at home in the cockpit of a mobile suit. More so than I've ever felt when I was home with my dad at Side 7. I'm not saying I enjoy the killing, far from it, but…" He then looked at his hands. "I don't know what I'm feeling, but whenever I'm in there with Vega, I feel at peace. At home. Its sickening. And when the war ends, I don't know what will happen when I'm deprived of that feeling. It kind of scary." When he finished, Chan placed a hand on his shoulder while placing the other near her chest.

"I've heard of this feeling, Amuro." Said Chan with a sympathetic and worried smile. "My uncle. He felt something similar whenever he was in the cockpit of a Federation space fighter. He was placed into the cockpit of those things so many times that he felt more at home than with my aunt. It kind of strained their marriage a bit." Amuro looked at Chan at that, surprised.

"Did they…" Chan just shook her head.

"He died during the first days of the war. Plane blew up when shrapnel from a missile got into his fuselage and caused it to blow. But from what I managed to discern from my aunt. They were close to doing so. His obsession with the cockpit of a Federation Saberfish got to the point that he spent more time in the garrison than at home. He rarely sent any letters. The last time that I saw him with my aunt was during the anniversary of my mother and father. I didn't get a good look on them but my uncle seemed distant. Like he didn't want to be there. When it was time for people to leave, he was the first to leave. He didn't say goodbye or anything. He just grabbed his car and took off in a hurry." Amuro opened his mouth and eyes at that, shocked. His mind then when into thought. Will he become like that? So, obsessed with his mobile suit that he would neglect his friends and family? To the point that he'll even neglect his wife, should he get one, just to have that feeling of comfort that a cockpit can bring. Just thinking of it made him shudder.

"Not something that I want." Said Amuro with a mumble. Chan nodded before stopping and bringing him to a hug.

"If you want, we can use this little shore leave of ours to get you away from the cockpit of the Gundam. Vega is a good machine, but he can't provide the comfort that you need right now. No offense to you or him." Said Chan as she looked at Amuro in the eye. Noticing the close contact they had, Amuro coughed before tugging his collar.

"Will your parents be fine with that?" Asked Amuro, hoping that his cheeks weren't burning. To his embarrassment, Chan laughed at that.

"They'll be fine. To be honest, they'll be ecstatic." Said Chan. "You have no idea how many times they made a sly remark of me dying a virgin because of my job as an engineer. Do you know of many female engineers that have guys wanting them because of their looks? There aren't that many, I can assure you. For all we know, they'll be pushing us to get a room and have us married." Upon thinking of that, Amuro blushed and looked away.

"Well, I wouldn't mind that." Said Amuro nervously. "I mean, you're a smart and intelligent girl, Chan. I think that you would make a great wife to any guy that you pick." Blushing a bit at that, Chan actually backed off and looked away, placing a hand on her right cheek.

"That's nice of you to say." Said Chan, pushing some lose strands of hair from her face and tucking them behind her hair. A notion that Amuro found adorable. "And I think that you'll make a good husband to any woman that you pick as well." Rubbing his neck, Amuro was about to take the next step.

"So, you fine with going out to a city block in Jaburo while we're on shore leave? Just the two of us?" Upon hearing that, Chan looked at Amuro in shock, her face blushing. After a few seconds, she put on a small smile, though she still blushed.

"I would love that." Said Chan, leaning over to Amuro, enough that their lips were nearly touching. All it took was for one to slip and their lips would have connected. Pursing his lips, Amuro was considering being that lucky fool for today when they heard some giggling. Turning to the source of the commotion, they saw two young children with blue hair looking at them with wide smiles.

"Chan has a boyfriend!" Singed the girl while the boy just smiled. The two then rushed to Chan and hugged her, who returned it after recovering from the shock.

"Sam!" Said Chan with a smile as she held the girl with one arm. "Charlie! Its good to see you two again." As Chan hugged the two children, she looked at Amuro. "Amuro, these are my younger siblings. Introduce yourself." Tugging his collar, Amuro just smiled at the kids.

"Uh…hi." Said Amuro awkwardly, not sure of how to approach the two after they saw the little moment he had with Chan. Fortunately, the two seemed fine with it as they teased Chan of finally getting a boyfriend, much to the young woman's embarrassment. This went on for a few minutes when a black-haired woman showed up. Observing the woman, Amuro found she was quite an attractive woman with long black hair and a toned figure. Judging by the twinkle in her brown eyes, Amuro guessed that this was Chan's aunt.

"Come on, you two." Said the woman with amusement. "Quit embarrassing your sister in front of her friend." She then hugged Chan, who was red like a tomato now, causing Amuro to cough in a bid to stop himself from laughing. The woman then turned to Amuro, smiling. "You must be the pilot of the Gundam that my sister has been talking about. Amuro Ray, correct?"

"Yes ma'am." Said Amuro with a nod. "And you're Chan's aunt, right?" The woman nodded.

"Jill Agi." Said the woman. She then motioned everyone to follow her. "Now can we all please enter my home. I don't want to have soldiers coming to my home with a complaint of noise." With that, Jill led everyone to her apartment. As he walked inside, Amuro thought of what to do on his little date, suddenly remembering that he had no plan.

" **I have no idea what I've done."** Thought Amuro, wanting to slap himself for asking Chan without a plan. Well…he can always improvise.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

 **RedRat8-Intersting, I'll look into it more. As for Amuro, he'll meet only one in a significant way. And in a way that isn't exactly the best way to introduce your future in-laws.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- Eventually. I was thinking UMS-Unmanned mobile suit instead of mobile doll (I always found the term to be kind of silly.).**

 **Guest- Well, I was thinking of a combat related scenario will work best for Amuro awakening his Newtype.**

 **As for AI rights, well, maybe.**

 **Guest 2- Well the treaty only prohibited WMDs like chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. It never had any term that prohibited one from using solar panels as a makeshift weapon.**

 **Revil, Tianem, and Kowen will each be getting one. They're the, at least here, the most progressive thinking admirals or generals in the Federation high command. And there's no reason to not do it.**

 **As for AI and Newtypes, I'm not spoiling it, but eventually even a Newtype will not be able to beat an entire squad of AI-equipped mobile suits by themselves (the mobile suits on each side are equal in quality of course.)**

 **Thekiller7-No mass produced Guncannons for the White Base crew. Sorry, but my reasoning is that, because the White Base is so infamous, they'll get the most advanced mobile suits the Federation had at the time, like the GM command, the GM type c, or the Gm snipper II, simply because of that fame. I don't know about you, but to me, it doesn't speak well for the Federation if their most famous ship has subpar units when less famous units and teams have better units overall. (Then again that could also instill fear into the enemy because this famous ship managed to defeat Dozle, in a Big Zam, with just subpar units.)**

 **As for the Guncannon II, you mean the Guncannon detector, correct? Sorry, but that suit requires the Methuss to be able to make it here. Not to worry, the Guncannon detector will gets it time to shine when the time comes, including other Federation suits that keep getting shafted in the shows, like the Rezel, the GM III, Jegan, and GM II (well maybe not that last one.).**

 **Sorry if this chapter is short and didn't introduce Amuro to the rest of Chan's family (baring her older sister of course.) I will try to promise you that I will introduce a proper chapter that will have him interact with her family that coincides with Fraw and Hayato dealing with the orphans, AKA their future adopted kids.**

* * *

" **So, this is Chan's family?"** Thought Amuro as he sat in a fine chair, waiting for Chan's aunt to finish whatever the heck she was making. Chan, meanwhile, was playing with her little siblings. Seeing the engineer play with her siblings brought a smile on Amuro's face. It must have been nice to play around with your siblings, removing any thought of the war and just plain enjoying their company. He was jealous to be honest, having been an only child, so he could never have what Chan was having right now. Still, he felt more happiness than jealousy because it was nice to see that, even though she was in the military and had killed her first man, Chan still knew how to have fun and relax when the time calls for it. With Chan distracted with her siblings, Amuro got up and went to Chan's aunt, who was putting the final touches of a fine dinner. As he walked, he couldn't help but notice how big the apartment actually was.

When he first arrived, the first thing he did was explore. To his surprise, the apartment was big enough to have five bedrooms with a kitchen and three bathrooms. Chan had explained it was custom made for her family after her mother acquired a job as Revil's secretary. It was also because of that job along with her dad serving as an engineer that they would be able to afford such an apartment, which was typically reserved for high-ranking individuals and their families or really rich people.

"Excuse me, ma'am." Said Amuro as Jill put some chicken nuggets into a plate, obviously for the little ones, before placing the buns on a couple of hamburgers. "I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Not at all." Said Jill before placing all the food onto a tray and carrying it all to the dinner table. Once she place it all, she called everyone to eat. "Hope you like burgers, Amuro. I would have prepared something else, but we were running out of vegetables and fruit, so I had to make do with these things."

"Its fine." Said Amuro as he sat down. "Once you get used to military food, you'll eat practically anything."

"Don't I know it." Said Jill as she sat down while watching Sam and Charlie eat sloppily. Shaking her head, she looked at Chan and Amuro, who sat next to each other, causing her to grin. The twinkle in her eyes unnerved Amuro, but he ignored the bad feeling that he was getting. "Anyway, your father will be arriving before dinner. One of the water purifiers went dead after the attack so he had to go and fix it."

"He's not hurt, is he?" Asked Chan worriedly. She sighed in relief when Jill waved her hand.

"Nah." Said Jill. "He just radioed it in. Turns out the thing was long overdue for a checkup. Thing gave out when a massive amount of water went to it. Its fixable but they need new parts." She then sighed. "Moving on, so this is the boy that my little sister has been talking about, huh? The one that took your heart, Chan?" She pursed her lips in a bid to stop laughing when Amuro chocked on his water, causing him to cough and hack, while Chan blushed hard.

"Aunt Jill!" Yelled Chan with a red blush while Amuro breathed in and out.

"I'm sorry." Said Jill with her hands raised while Chan's younger siblings laughed. "I just couldn't help myself." After everyone has calmed down, she looked at the two. "So, are you two planning to go on a date after lunch? If you are, then you're in luck. There's a small park nearby, perfect for a small stroll and date. And I heard that there's some secluded spots to do adult stuff." Jill then laughed out loud when the two teens blushed so hard that they looked as red as a ripe tomato.

"What adult stuff?" Asked Sam with the innocence of a young child. Waving her hand, Jill said that she'll explain it when she and her brother are fifteen.

" **God she's even worse than Kai!"** Thought Amuro as he tried to calm down to no avail. The thought of doing that with Chan was going to be in his mind for a while.

"Ugh! Aunt Jill, this is exactly why that you and mom fight a lot." Said Chan, still red. "You say the most inappropriate of things at the most inappropriate of times."

"Fair." Said Jill. "But that's because my sister is too safe. She needs to learn to take more risks. And if she won't be the one that'll take them, then I sure will."

"That's the sole reason that she worries so much about Sam and Charlie whenever they're left with you." Mumbled Chan with a glare. Jill just shrugged.

"They'll lose their innocence anyway. No big deal if they lose it this early." Said Jill. That caused Chan to shake her head.

"I'm honestly surprised that they haven't lost it yet." Said Chan before finishing her food. After placing the plates in the sink, she beckoned Amuro to follow her. With him in tow, she lead him away from the kitchen and to a bedroom.

"What are they doing?" Asked Charlie as he chomped on a nugget. Jill just smirked.

"Knowing Chan, she's going to speak to Amuro privately about what to do on their date." Said Jill. **"So that I don't make her blush like a tomato again."**

* * *

 **Bedroom**

* * *

"Agh! She is just so…Argh!" Yelled Chan as she paced back and forth in the room. Amuro, who had been siting on the bed, just tugged on his collar, now finally recovered from Jill's innuendo. "I knew that she'll make them, but to rope you into them. She just…argh. Sometimes I hate my aunt so much."

"I can tell." Said Amuro. "She's…something special." Chan sighed before sitting next to him.

"I know. I love her, I really do, but she's the type of aunt that you can only endure so much before you get the urge to strangle them." Said Chan.

"I wouldn't know about that." Said Amuro, having no knowledge of his parent's siblings. He knew that his dad had one, but they died sometime before he was born. "I'm sorry that I was used as ammunition for her to embarrass you."

"You shouldn't be." Said Chan, looking at Amuro. "I should be the one to apologize for my aunt's actions. In fact, I probably should have warned you about her. She does this all the time. She first appears to be a normal person and before you know it, bam, she starts spouting innuendos at anyone that she knows has feelings for another." Amuro nodded at that. The warning would have been helpful. "I guess I was just too worried of you liking my family that I forgot about warning you about my aunt. I'm sorry." Amuro smiled at that.

"Hey, its alright." Said Amuro, placing a hand on Chan's shoulder. "I can handle a little innuendo here and there. Its nothing bad or anything. Besides, she's…fun I guess." Chan laughed a bit at that.

"Just deal with living with her for several months. I guarantee that you'll change your mind after that." Said Chan with a small smile. After a few minutes of just sitting next to each other, enjoying each other's company, Chan spoke up. "So, interested in going to that park? I mean, just as a stroll, not doing that." Blushing a bit, he nodded.

"I don't mind." Said Amuro. "Will your aunt will be fine with that." Chan just laughed a bit at that.

"She will." Said Chan. "Trust me, she'll just use it as more ammo for her innuendoes." With a sigh, she got up. "Come on. Let's go freshen up before going out." Nodding the two went into separate bathrooms to freshen up before taking off for their little date. After a few minutes, they were out the door and going outside to find this park that Jill had spoke of. Meanwhile, Jill was smiling down at the two as they left the apartment.

" **Chan choose a good one."** Thought Jill. **"Reminds me a bit of my husband."** Remembering the good times she had with him, she looked at the two teenagers as they made their way to the park, having asked for directions from a stranger. " **I just hope that he doesn't end up like him. For Chan's sake."**

* * *

 **Few minutes later**

 **Park**

* * *

"This is nice." Said Chan as both Amuro and her were sitting in a bench, watching kids play around in the grass with parents or soldiers keeping an eye on them. "It's good to get out of the ship and just enjoy life. Helps keep you sane."

"That it does." Said Amuro, taking in the peace and the sound of water falling from a water fountain nearby. All of it was calming and soothing to Amuro's mind. He felt like he could stay there for a long time. It was only after Chan nudged him that he snapped out of his trance. "Sorry, was there something that you wanted to ask?"

"Yeah." Said Chan, a bit nervous. After a few more minutes, she spoke. "Amuro…I was wondering if…you're okay with me leaning on your shoulder." Looking at her in shock, Amuro blushed a bit before nodding. Smiling, Chan leaned on his shoulder and simply relaxed. Looking at her peaceful face, Amuro smiled a bit before looking at the outskirts of Jaburo. For an underground city, the place was majestic in its own way with the way the lights sparkled in the caves of Jaburo, creating a lightshow if you know where to placed yourself in, which both Amuro and Chan were in at the moment. After a few minutes, the children stopped what they were doing to watch the light show, Amuro looked at Chan, who actually took a nap on his shoulder. Chuckling a bit at his friend, he wondered if he should as to start a relationship with her.

While he wasn't sure if it'll work between them, he was willing to give it a shot and he was sure Chan was willing to as well. Lightly shaking her, Amuro felt his courage slip away as Chan woke up. Trying to work up the courage again, he looked at Chan as she rubbed her eyes.

"What is it, Amuro?" Asked Chan as she looked at her friend, a little groggy. Coughing a bit, he spoke to her with a nervous tone.

"Chan, I wanted to ask you…" Started Amuro before his tongue suddenly dried up, the words he was about to say now lost. Mentally kicking himself in the shin, he looked at Chan, who adopted a cute curious expression on her face, making him stop and take a look at her.

" **God damnit!"** Thought Amuro as he looked at his friend. **"Just say it you coward!"** He tried to say what he wanted to say but he couldn't find the words. After a few minutes of seeing him trying to find the words and failing, Chan giggled to herself before speaking.

"I think I know what you're trying to say." Said Chan before bringing her lips to Amuro's. Widening his eyes, Amuro looked at Chan as she deepened the kiss. Eventually, he closed his eyes and placed a hand on Chan's back before pulling her closer. Appreciating the boldness, Chan wrapped her arms around Amuro's neck, finding that she needs the support. As they continued the kiss, the world suddenly went blank around them. All that mattered to them at the moment was each other and just how much longer they can go before they needed to take a breath. After about thirty seconds, the two stopped to take a breath, a trail of saliva still connecting them. After getting rid of the spit with a handkerchief that Chan carried around, the two looked at each other, a bit of lust and desire in their eyes.

"So…" Started Amuro, still feeling a bit of fire in his core. "Are you fine with going out with me?" Smiling a bit, Chan nodded. Ever since he didn't report her to the Federation back at Luna II, Chan developed a small crush on him that continued to develop as the two bonded with each other, helping each other when they were at their lowest. She didn't realize at first, but after Kai's little teasing moment, she realized the true extent of her feelings. And with an opportunity to act on those feelings and have them blossom to the full grown relationship, she would be a fool to not take it up.

"Why not?" Said Chan. "It's worth a shot. And if it doesn't work, then it doesn't work." Nodding his head in agreement, he looked at Chan.

"I can't promise that I won't end up like your uncle, nor will I be a good father if we ever get kids, but what I can promise is that I'll try and to make this work." Said Amuro, determination in his eyes. Smiling, Chan brought him into a hug before whispering to his ear.

"I'll hold you to that." Said Chan. "And I'll promise the same thing." With that the two looked at each other, unsure of their new relationship status and how to proceed. Before either could suggest a location, they heard a voice call out.

"Well now, that was certainly fast." Said Jill as she made herself known. Upon being caught, the two blushed hard, causing Jill to chuckle. "Relax, I won't made a sly comments today. I made you two blush too much already. Congratulations you two." Smiling and closing her eyes, she looked at Amuro. "Be sure to keep that promise, young man, otherwise I won't be happy. Neither would my brother-in-law nor my sister."

"I won't let her or any of you down." Said Amuro, looking at Jill. "I want this to work." Sensing the sincerity in his voice, Jill nodded approvingly.

"Good." Said Jill. "Very good." She then looked at Chan. "And be sure to be good as well, young lady. It be a shame for your new boyfriend to find out that you're naughty." Rolling her eyes, she glared at Jill, who chuckled.

"We'll be fine." Said Chan. "Now, should we get back to the apartment?" Jill nodded at that.

"Your father and mother have arrived early." Said Jill. "I believe its time for you two to get back soon. After all, you'll want their blessing as soon as possible. They would be pouty and sore if you had a relationship behind their back. Especially since Selina was complaining to me that you should get a boyfriend, Chan."

"Again?" Complained Chan as she sighed in frustration, causing Jill and Amuro to chuckle.

"But before that," Jill then led the two somewhere. "I think you two need an activity that'll help strengthen your relationship. And I have just the suggestion." Looking at each other, the two wondered what the heck Jill was thinking.

* * *

 **Few hours later**

 **Agi apartment**

* * *

"So, Jill." Started Selina as she helped her sister finish dinner, which would be spaghetti and meatballs. "I heard that Chan and her friend Amuro had arrived in our apartment a few hours ago. What happened to them?"

"Oh, they started a relationship and they went to do stuff that a boyfriend and girlfriend should do together." Said Jill as she called Sam, Charlie, and her sister's husband. Upon hearing that, Selina nearly spilled the pot of spaghetti to the floor. After placing the pot on the dinner table, she grasped her sister.

"What!?" Yelled Selina as she looked at her sister, who smirked. "Since when did they start a relationship!?"

"Just a minutes after they arrived to the apartment. They went to a park and they kind of went off there." Said Jill as she examined her nails. "And for once, I didn't have anything to do with it. I guess their feelings were just bottled up and were waiting for a moment to burst out. And that seems to be the case with how long they kissed and how they pulled each other deeper to each other. I swear to you that Chan's chest is as soft as yours, sis. Her chest was literally being squashed like a squash when a hammer smashes into it when it connected with that boy's chest." Her comment resulted in a slap and a blush from Selina.

"Enough about my chest for the entire month!" Yelled Selina as her sister rubbed her check with a cheeky smile. "Where did they go next?"

"Well, I escorted them to a place appropriate for new couples." Before Selina could panic, Jill quickly spoke. 'The movie theater. They went to watch a movie together." Upon hearing that, Selina sighed.

"Oh thank god." Said Selina. "For a moment I thought you led them to a secluded section of the city block so they can have sex."

"Oh why would you think that?" Asked Jill with a face of mock hurt.

"You did it with your husband and you tried to do it with my oldest when she got her first boyfriend." Deadpanned Selina with an unamused face. Smirking, the two sisters would have continued when Jun, Selina's husband, arrived with their two youngest.

The man was quite average when it comes to looks. With just the necessary body strength needed to work as a military engineer, the man was just an average man with black hair and brown eyes. His face was nothing special. Not too ugly, but not too handsome either. Still he won the heart of Selina and had four kids with her, something that brought much joy and teasing from Jill.

"I take it from the slap and the yelling that you two fought. Again." Said Jun as the two youngest giggled, far too used to the antic of the two sisters.

"Yup." Said Jill as Selina rubbed her temples. After calming down, she looked at Jun.

"Well, do you approve of this Amuro?" Asked Selina, worried that her husband would disapprove of Amuro, no matter how unlikely it would be. He always was the most accepting and open-minded of the two. And if she already approved of Chan getting into a relationship with Amuro, despite his background, then Jun would be fine with it as well. Shrugging, Jun helped Charlie to his seat before looking at his wife.

"You already know my answer." Said Jun as he looked at his wife and sister-in-law. "I mean, its Chan's choice. And while I would hurt that boy for breaking her heart, she can use it as experience for her next boyfriend. Besides," He then looked at the ground. "He doesn't seem to be a bad boy from what you told me of him. He seems like a good choice for Chan. And I look forward to meeting with him."

"And you will." Said Jill. "They'll be arriving soon. I can assure you." Jun nodded at that before asking where they were. "A movie theater. Its not too far from here. They're currently watching a film appropriate for new couples." Nodding his head, Jun was about to help unload the food into plates when he remembered something.

"What a minute. There are no movies that are romantic currently airing." Said Jun, remembering that he looked at the currently airing movies prior to the White Base's arrival, just in case that Amuro tried to pull something with his little girl. He may be willing to give the boy a chance, but he wasn't going to completely trusting of him yet. He learned that the hard way with his oldest. "What movie are they watching?" The smirk from Jill unnerved Jun and Selina. They knew that smirk. It was the type that just screamed "I did something very naughty and I enjoyed every moment of it."

"Jill." Growled Selina as her eyes twitched. "What did you do?" Before Jill could reply, the door to their apartment suddenly opened. Looking, the three adults spotted Chan and Amuro arriving, red as tomatoes. Sitting on the coach, the two looked at each other, somehow blushing more, before looking away. Upon seeing that, Jun looked at Jill, who put on a wide smile.

"What movie did they watch? Or rather, what movie did you trick them into watching?" Asked Jun, looking at his wife, who looked ready to explode. Smirking, Jill began to stride to a separate bedroom.

"Oh, just our generation's version of…what was it called…oh yeah. Fifty Shades of Grey. Just with a boat load more smut and BDSM." Said Jill with very little remorse. Upon hearing that, Selina just exploded, dragging her sister with her to her bedroom, red from anger.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **White Base**

* * *

"Huh." Said Bright as he looked up from the report given to him by lieutenant Woody about the White Base's upgrades. Looking around, he wondered what he just felt.

"Are you okay, sir?" Asked Carmine, standing guard next to Bright. Woody also looked at Bright, blinking.

"Sorry." Said Bright as he went back to reading the report. "I just felt that someone had just committed something that they shouldn't have done to one of my crew and that I should be there to discipline them."

"What, like what Monsha did?" Asked Carmine, remembering what Bright did to Monsha. He smirked when he remembered Monsha holding his slapped cheeks. That man's cheeks will be red for weeks.

"No, not to that level." Said Bright. "But still need to be disciplined with a slap or two."

"Like that guy?" Asked Carmine, pointing to their newest crew member, a lieutenant Sleggar, who had just arrived and was currently smiling at Mirai, extending a hand out in greeting. Mirai, for her part, was just looking away with an annoyed face. Feeling a spike of jealously, Bright squashed it down before looking back at the report.

* * *

 **Agi apartment**

* * *

"Well, I should take you two away from here soon." Said Jun, looking at Sam and Charlie who were looking at the door that Selina took to drag her sister away. He then looked at Chan and Amuro, who were still blushing hard. "And I should keep you two away from each other until the memories of that movie go away. I can lead you to separate bedrooms right now if you want to skip dinner."

"Please do." Squeaked Chan as she got up and walked to her father who then led her and Amuro to separate bedrooms. After placing them in separate bedrooms, he went to the dinner table. Upon arriving, Sam and Charlie looked at him with curious face.

"Dad, what's BDSM and smut?" Asked Sam with an innocent expression. Groaning to himself, he cursed Jill. Sometimes he just wished that she would just find her own apartment.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

 **RedRat8- Yes, I imagine Monsha and Slegger will get along quite well actually.**

 **AccelBreaker-Yes**

 **Thekiller7- Thank you, that's appreciated.**

 **R reyes- Well to bad for most people, they are.**

 **HyperionGM- Really, oh. In that case, why not. Once California base is captured, let's give one of those new Guncannons to Hayato or Kai.**

* * *

 **Asia**

 **Zaku II**

* * *

"This is Rios. I'm approaching a Guntank. Stand by for additional information." Said a Zaku II pilot as he piloted his Zaku in a ruined city, watching carefully for any enemy troops equipped with rocket launchers or anti mobile suit weaponry. The tight confines of a city were a nightmare for any mobile suit. There were far too many hiding spots for any enemy units to hit their blind spots. To make matter worse, he had no infantry to help support his Zaku. He would have protested the attack he was participating in if it wasn't for the fact that this was their last chance to escape. The entire Zeon garrison nearby was depending on them. Three Guntanks were providing fire support to the entire Federation assault force. With them active, they couldn't launch the Apsalus III, the final model of the Apsalus line. With them in play, the Apsalus was a siting duck. Though it had the range to attack the Guntanks, they didn't know where the Guntanks were. All it took was for the Apsalus to miss even one Guntank and its gone. The Apsalus, while powerful, had poor armor, a result of limited resources at their disposal, which was made even more apparent when the Federation destroyed their remaining supply depots in Asia as well as taking Odessa.

After the disastrous battle of Jaburo, Zeon military officials deemed Earth a lost cause and began evacuating every soldier they could off the planet. Only a few were staying willingly, most of which comprised of special forces or people that were stubbornly insisting to stay behind to score some easy kills on Federation ships that were going to space. Some others are also staying, mostly the African division as they lacked any sort of HLV to transport them off the planet. Aside from them, California base and every other Zeon outpost was leaving. It's clear to most that Earth was a lost cause and that the fight would now be in space once again.

And for the garrison within the Zeon mountain fortress to join that fight, they needed to take out these Guntanks so that the Apsalus can wipe out the Federation forces assaulting them. Moving forward, Rios looked at his scanners, the Minovsky particles in the air not dense enough to interfere with his mobile suit's scanners. In the scanners, he saw that a Guntank was just around the corner on the left. Switching the safety off his Zaku's machinegun, the pilot was readying himself to take the Guntank out. A sudden burst of transmission told him that a Dom was approaching his position ready to help him out. Getting ready, Rios was about to turn around and take on the Guntank when suddenly his Zaku's hands were shot off. As his weapon dropped, the Zaku turned around to see a previously unknown Federation mobile suit holding a machinegun. Before Rios could do anything, the Feddie mobile suit unloaded the rest of the clip at the Zaku's head before following up with a beam saber to the cockpit, killing the Zeon pilot. As the Zaku fell, the Federation mobile suit reloaded its gun. As it just about finished reloading, a Dom suddenly appeared out of nowhere, flying above the Federation mobile suit and landing somewhere nearby the Guntank. As the Guntank was turning around to deal with the new threat, the Dom was about to fire when it was shot in the head by a cannon shell. With the recoil forcing it back, causing it to crash into a ruined building, the Dom couldn't do anything when the Guntank turned and fired it shoulder cannons at the Dom. The Dom's armor held for the first pair of shots and it looked like the pilot was unaffected as the Dom was recovering. Before it could do anything, however, a beam saber pierced the cockpit, killing the pilot. Disabling the beam saber, the Federation mobile suit responsible watched as the Dom fell to the ground with a thud. With the threat gone, the unknown Federation model looked at the Guntank.

"This position is compromised now. You need to reposition." Said the pilot to the Guntank crew.

"Roger. Thanks ensign Amada. We owe you a drink." Said the gunner before the driver took off, going to find a more secure position.

"Anytime." Said Shiro before cutting the transmission. Sighing, he then spoke to Kled. "How's the new body, Kled? You got used to it?"

" **I must admit, its roomier than the base model of the RX-79 [G]. It also has slightly better performance than it. Around 10 percent."** Said Kled. **"Still, I wished they didn't remodel the cockpit and head unit so much. Its nothing I can't get used to, but the way they designed it…its far to foreign for my tastes."** Laughing at that, Shiro then contacted everyone in his team, asking what how they're doing.

"I'm good." Said Karen as she stood guard over another Guntank. "No Zeon is going to get past me and take this tank."

"Same here." Said Terry as he placed a new shell in his cannon before placing the clip back. "Though I'm not seeing any new mobile suits, we should still be on guard. These Guntanks are critical."

"Agreed." Said Shiro before contacting Massis. "Got anything on the radar, Eledore?"

"Nah." Said Eledore as he sipped on a cup of coffee. "Not getting anything. Don't worry, if any enemy mobile suits arrive, we'll tell you." Nodding at that, Shiro then contacted his superior, Captain Kojima, promoted after the previous captain in charge of the South East Asia theater, Isan Ryer, was killed after the Midnight Fenrir destroyed his Big Tray along with the MS team 1 and 3 when they tried to prevent the new enemy mobile weapon, now known to them as the Apsalus. With him gone, Kojima was promoted to lead the remaining Federation forces to defeat the remaining forces in the South East Asia theater. He was also the one that sent the MS 08th and 4th teams to Odessa to help deal with the Apsalus, finding he could spare them.

"Captain Kojima, sir, we just taken out two enemy mobile suits that entered the city. It appears they were trying to take out our Guntanks." Said Shiro. He soon got a response.

"Good work." Said Kojima as he talked to Shiro from a jeep that he was riding in, the density of Minovsky particles not dense enough to interfere with unprotected radio transmitters. "I'm on my way to the city. A Medea supply convoy is arriving with supplies and reinforcements." Upon hearing that, Shiro blinked in surprise.

"Resupply? This late? Why is that, sir?" Asked Shiro. To be honest, he was completely surprised they were getting a resupply. The Kojima battalion was doing well enough. They've taken out several enemy bases and have driven the enemy in the region to this final base.

"No idea." Said Kojima as he saw Shiro's new mobile suit, which was just a heavily damaged Gundam ground type rebuilt with whatever spare parts they had, resulting in a completely new model that was different from any other Gundam in service. For one, it didn't have a V fin. Instead it had a standard communication antenna at the side of its head. It also removed the chest mounted weapons, such as the vulcan machine gun and multi-launcher, replacing them with a 12.7 mm gun at the torso along with two 35mm machine guns at the head. Though all three weapons weren't useful against mobile suits. Another thing was that the armor was revised, giving better protection around the torso, and ankles. Finally, because of the removal of the original previous weapons, the engineers were able to improve the reactor of the mobile suit, granting it better performance all around, making it slightly better than the base Gundam ground type model. It took a while for Kled to get used to it, but the AI had gotten used to the new body, though he was annoyed that most of the sensor equipment was removed to make room for the communication antenna. Still, he and Shiro were able to get used to their new suit and proved to be just as deadly with it as their old one. Frowning on the suit, Kojima spoke again.

"I heard that the enemy has been retreating in every theater. Must have freed up more resources for the Federation. Good thing if you ask me. Means we can finally secure Earth and take the fight back to space." Said Kojima. Shiro nodded at that. That makes sense.

"You think they'll send us all to space?" Asked Shiro. He was fine with going to space so long as he kept being the team leader of the MS 08th team.

"Of course." Said Kojima as the jeep ride ended, stopping near a makeshift landing area for Medea supply ships. Jumping out, he saw Shiro's new Gundam, nicknamed the Gundam Ez8 by the engineers that made it, walked up to him. Stopping near him, the Gundam cockpit opened up, allowing Shiro to get out. With the kid near him, Kojima put the radio back in the jeep. "We'll likely leave a token force to deal with any Zeon forces that stay behind, but we need most of our able-bodied men and women in space. That is where the fighting will call for them. If you want, you can stay. I can pull a few strings." Shiro shook his head at that.

"I love staying on Earth, sir, believe me, but I won't forgive myself if I have an easy assignment when I knew that I could do more out in space. If the MS 08th team is able to, we'll go to space and take the fight to the Zeons." Kojima nodded at that. "If I may ask sir, will you be going into space too?" Kojima shook his head.

"No. I'm staying behind. My knowledge of the terrain here will be invaluable to what Federation forces remain on Earth. While we know that the Zeon forces are up in that mountain fortress,' He pointed at the mountain fortress that the enemy was hiding up in. "That only includes the forces that we know of. There could be hidden special forces units in the jungles, waiting to conduct guerilla tactics on Federation supply convoys or unsuspecting Federation patrols. It may seem unlikely, but the Federation thought the same when Zeon declared war on us." Shiro pursed his lips at that, remembering the day that Zeon declared war and what they did just seconds after officially declaring war. "Besides," He then shrugged, closing his eyes. "I prefer the comforts of the jungles of Earth rather than the cold depth of space or the air-conditioned environment of a colony. Call me a supremacist, but there's something about Earth that intrigues me." He then opened his eyes, looking at the sky of Earth. "There's something about Earth that just calls for me. It's a good feeling. I'm thinking after the war, I'll ask to be stationed here in Asia. It's a good place as any if you like green and not the big cities in other regions on Earth." He then looked at Shiro. "What about you, Ensign? Feel like staying on Earth or going back to a colony after the war is over?" Shiro went into thought when he heard the question. To be honest, he loved scenery and feel of Earth. That feeling when a natural wind blows in your face. The sight of actual animals flying in the sky and the sight of the sun setting down on the horizon. It was all beautiful and he couldn't find it all on a colony. Still, there was things that he missed of a colony. The lack of bugs. The wonders of seeing the stars and going outside a colony to see them. Just to name a few. Rubbing his neck, Shiro shook his head.

"Don't know, really." Said Shiro. "Both got their merits. Guess it'll depend on my girlfriend. If I get one of course." Kojima nodded at that.

"True enough." Said Kojima before looking at his plastic watch. "We got sometime before the Medeas arrive. Any questions you want to ask?"

"Yes sir." Said Shiro, looking over at the mountains, where the enemy was hold up. "You think that the prisoners were telling the truth? That there's another Apsalus in the making?" When he heard that Aina, after receiving a promise that the Federation will try to bring her brother along with any Zeon wounded alive, which was given to her by admiral Kowen, told the Federation that another Apsalus was in the making, designed to improve the flaws of the previous two, he was stunned. Even without the data from the Apsalus II, the Federation having acquired the unit after the Odessa operation, the Zeons were still willing to invest more resources into the project, despite the loss of data. When prodded, she explained that her brother, a Zeon noble by the name of Ginias Sahalin, was obsessed with the Apsalus project. He believed that it was a key to winning the war for Zeon. After some more information from other Zeon prisoners that were involved in the Apsalus project as well as getting date from the Apsalus II itself, Federation intelligence that it could be used to win the war.

The Apsalus project's intended function was to create a mobile weapon that would fly up to the atmosphere and bombard Jaburo with its mega particle cannon. With its assigned escort dealing with any Federation forces sent to destroy the Apsalus, the mobile armor would bombard Jaburo until nothing was left. And with Jaburo gone, the Federation would be forced to surrender. With that knowledge, Federation high command ordered the Kojima battalion to destroy the Apsalus project and to capture any scientists they find that were apart of the project, something many within the battalion was willing to do. Going back to Shiro's question, Kojima frowned.

"Well, given what this miss Aina has given about her brother, I'd say its likely that the man is either insane or desperate." Said Kojima, remembering the briefing he got about Ginias Sahalin. The examples given to them by Aina, after a long session with Kowen, who promised that he'll do everything he can to ensure that any Apsalus project personal they find, including soldiers and non-essential staff, will be treated well by the Federation, of how far her brother will go to ensure that he gets what he wants was everything that Kojima needed to see that Ginias Sahalin was someone to be feared and take caution with. He then turned to Shiro. "If you find him, Shiro, I want you to be careful. He's not someone that should be taken lightly off." Shiro nodded at that.

"I understand sir. If you don't mind, sir, should I take him alive?" Asked Shiro. Since Ginias was Aina's brother, Shiro wanted to bring him alive. Not just because of Aina, but because he himself felt that he needed to get some help. He read the report of Ginias and he saw a man that needed severe help.

"Of course." Said Kojima. "We made a promise to Miss Sahalin to bring as many of the Apsalus project personal alive and that's what I intend to do. I already ordered all my men to bring any Zeon soldiers they find back alive if they can. I don't think I need to say that to you or your team though." Knowing that Kojima meant well with that jest, Shiro smiled.

"Of course, sir. If we find Ginias, we'll bring him alive. I promise you!" Said Shiro. He always liked Kojima. Though he didn't know Ryer much, he knew that the former captain was willing to do what was necessary in order to win, even if it meant sacrificing his men to do so, something that Shiro, while he could understand it, didn't like, especially if there were ways to win without sacrificing men. Kojima, fortunately, was more in line with what Shiro thought. While he also understood Ryer's train of thoughts, he even went on record saying that men like Ryer were needed to do the tough decisions that some men just weren't willing to do, he took a different approach to Ryer's plan of battle. Much to Shiro's surprise, Kojima approved of cooperation with the guerillas in the region, his reasoning that they had better knowledge on the terrain and enemy forces than they did. After hearing the massive success that Shiro had against a particular difficult enemy base, which succeeded only because of the help from guerrillas, he appointed him as liaison of the Federation to the guerrillas, giving him permission to do give the guerrillas whatever they wanted that so long as that didn't include mobile suits or military vehicles. With better support and his friendship with guerilla fighter Kiki Rosita, who was the daughter of the local guerilla leader, Baresto Rosita, Shiro was able to make a better deal of cooperation with the guerillas before he left for Odessa. In exchange for food, medicine, and promises being given better farming equipment, much to Shiro's and Kojima's surprise, the guerillas helped the Federation with clearing out Zeon holdouts and supply depots that they previously didn't know about. When the 08th MS team returned from Odessa, he was pleasantly surprised to see that the guerillas were helping out the Federation forces, even occasionally celebrating with the more open-minded soldiers.

There was one bump in their relationship when a Zeon team of mobile suits, two Zaku IIs and a Zaku I, arrived to the village that the guerrillas were calling their home, forcing them to abandon their raid on a Zeon outpost, leaving the Federation to deal with it alone. They took the outpost but suffered over two dozen casualties due to the guerillas supposed to attack the enemy from the rear. Fortunately, Shiro managed to help diffuse the situation with Kled being a mediator, bringing up logical reasoning that helped cool the heads of some Federation hotheads. With the situation diffused, Shiro and the 08th MS team helped the guerillas take down the Zeon team that was harassing, though only one was really doing so, the other two were simply treating doing nothing to the villagers. There was a close call when one Zaku I managed to launch several S-mines into the air, nearly killing all the guerillas. Fortunately, Kled, reacting the moment the S-mines were launched, shielded everyone from the S-mines with the Gundam Ez8. The Gundam Ez8 was had been hidden along with Karen and Terry in the mountains, waiting for the Zakus to appear in their crosshairs. When the Zakus were coming at them, Kled had charged down, using his thrusters to get to the Zakus quickly, while Karen and Terry fired at them. The AI had tackled one Zaku, the Zaku I in fact, down, shocking the remaining two enough that they were easy pickings for the Federation pilots, who carefully aimed their rifles so that they wouldn't cause the Zakus to explode. With carefully aimed shots, the two blasted the arms and legs off the Zakus, rendering them useless. Things seem to be looking up to the Federation, they won with no casualties for them or the guerillas. Unfortunately, the guerillas had charged at the struggling Zaku I, adrenaline and blood lust in their veins. Whether it was panic or the Zeon pilot had made a gamble, the Zaku I launched three S-mines in the air. Though the mines wouldn't do anything to the Gundam Ez8, it'll kill anyone personal in a five meter radius, which the guerillas were in including Shiro, who had been trying to stop them. Not wanting his pilot to die, Kled let go of the Zaku and scrambled to protect everyone, shielding everyone from the shrapnel. While he succeeded in saving everyone, the Zaku I got up and was about to fire its gun at the Gundam when it got blasted by Terry and Karen, sending it flying away with limbs being torn off. With the threat gone, Kled got up and checked everyone to see if they were alright. While everyone was fine, the guerilla's blood lust remained. They wanted revenge, both for the treatment of their village along with everything the Zeons had done to them since arriving on Earth. While they tried to get to the Zeon pilots, who were still alive, Kled prevented them from going anywhere near, using his feet and arms to prevent them from going anywhere near the Zeon pilots, enraging them. When they told Shiro to tell Kled to back off, Shiro refused. He knew what they were planning to do and he wasn't going to let them. The Zeon pilots were now prisoners of war and he wasn't going to let them die just to satiate someone's bloodlust. As tempers flared, it seemed that both sides would come to blows when Kiki stopped everyone. Going right into the middle of Kled and the guerillas, the young girl yelled at the guerillas to stop. She told them that both Kled and Shiro were right. She told them that if they kill the Zeon pilots out of bloodlust and vengeance, then they were no better than them. She then told them that they needed to focus on repairing their village from the damage. To help tend to the wounded that suffered from the forced Zeon occupation. And that every second they waste is another second where one of their friends or family is suffering. Moved by her words, the guerillas reluctantly left the Zeon pilots alone, much to Shiro's relief. After promising to give the guerillas their promised supplies, Shiro and Kled with the help of Terry and Karen dragged the Zeon mobile suits to the nearest Federation outpost, where the pilots were put in as POWs. Despite that little incident, the guerillas were still willing to help the Federation, their hatred of Zeon too strong to let one or two butting of heads with the Federation forces to blind them from receiving help from the Federation.

With the combined might of both factions, they pushed the Zeon back to their only fortress, where the Apsalus I, II, and supposedly the 3rd model had been made. With no terrain to use for cover, aside from the city, the guerillas packed up and went home, saying they did enough. Though some Federation soldiers disliked that the guerillas were leaving them to do the hard work, Kojima knew they did enough and that they wouldn't be as useful in the last battle as they were in the previous battles. There simply wasn't enough good cover and hiding spots for guerillas like tactics in the wide-open fields that the mountain provided. So, he let them go, promising that he'll uphold his part of the deal and send the medical, food, and farming supplies to them as soon as possible, something that Shiro hopped to be soon as the village desperately needed them when he was last there. Intending to ask Kojima when the supplies would arrive, he was about to open his mouth when he saw a squad of six Medeas arriving.

"That's a lot more than I thought would arrive." Said Kojima, surprise in his voice. "Perhaps someone in the supply corps decided to bring the supplies I requested for the guerillas with the supplies for us."

"You think so, sir?" Asked Shiro. He would be honestly surprised to see that there were farming equipment with the Medeas. "They'll probably some eyebrows from the supply corps when they list off the supplies they're dropping off."

"Probably." Said Kojima with a shrug. To be frank, he gotten a real chuckle when he asked for farming equipment from Jaburo. The comm officer that talked with him rose an eyebrow and did a spit take when he asked again. "We'll ask when the transports arrive." After a few more minutes, the Medeas landed. Once they did, the cargo bays opened, allowing Federation supply corps troops to unload their cargo. From two Medeas came six RGM-79 GMs, the new Federation mass-produced mobile suits. Another one was unloaded basic troops with all their equipment. The final three unloaded various crates, no doubt filled with medicine, food, water, and ammo for the Kojima battalion. As the Medea crews unloaded the contents, a young woman came up to Kojima and Shiro. Upon seeing the woman, Shiro widened his eyes in shock.

"Lieutenant Matilda!" Yelled Shiro, saluting the woman. Upon hearing that, Kojima looked at Shiro.

"You know this woman, ensign?" Asked Kojima as the woman stood before Shiro and Kojima.

"Yes sir." Said Shiro. "She was the one in charge of the Medea supply ships that resupplied the White Base when it was in dire need to resupply. She's a find officer and stood firm even when she was under fire from enemy mobile suits."

"Those are kind words, ensign." Said Matilda with a small smile. "But if it weren't for you, your team, and the White Base, I wouldn't be here right now. Don't sell yourself short."

"I'm not ma'am." Said Shiro with a smile, happy to see a familiar face. "I must say, I'm honestly surprised that you're here with a resupply. We didn't expect to get one so soon."

"He's correct." Said Kojima, looking at Matilda. He heard of the woman and he was glad she survived Odessa. That operation took the lives of a lot of good men and women. "Any particular reason for a resupply. Especially one this large."

"Well, I don't know if you know, but the Zeons had just launched a failed assault on Jaburo." Said Matilda before bringing up her clipboard. Upon hearing that, the two men widening their eyes in shock. The Zeons had actually tried to assault Jaburo. But their analysts had said that the Zeons didn't have the forces on Earth to successfully assault Jaburo. The Apsalus project was their best shot in taking out Jaburo. And unless they had another Apsalus model in another base, like the California base, then any assault on Jaburo should be a disaster.

"Really. How bad was it?" Asked Kojima, worried. Matilda then flipped a page on her clipboard.

"To be frank, it was a disaster for the Zeons." Said Matilda. "The Zeons has lost over eighty five percent of their assault force while we only lost a handful of new GM suits. In fact, the ratio of destroyed mobile suits are three to one for us." Upon hearing that, the two men relaxed. Though they were still shocked that the Zeons had been insane enough to attack Jaburo.

" **They must be truly desperate."** Thought the two men. Going back to business, Kojima spoke to Matilda.

"While this is good news for us," Started Kojima. "How is it that you received a resupply after an assault on Jaburo so soon?"

"I was already on my way here when the attack started." Explained Matilda. When she heard of the assault, she was shocked beyond belief. She was relieved to hear that her fiancé, lieutenant Woody, was not among the casualties. Now she just needed to survive this last delivery and she can go back to Jaburo to marry Woody. She wondered if she could ask Shiro to attend before shaking such thoughts. Much as she wanted him to be there, he was too busy with the war here to attend a wedding. Even if the enemy miraculously surrendered, Shiro and his team would have to conduct sweeping operations in the area in order to be sure that they captured all enemy forces in the area. Sighing, she decided to review what she brought with her.

"We have two teams of the new GMs, two platoons of troops, and enough supplies to last you for a month." Said Matilda as she finished her report. She then looked at Kojima. "And, quite strangely I might add, we have some farming equipment with us. If I may ask, why did you request them, captain?"

"Well," Started Kojima with his eyes closed. "Long story short, I made a deal with the local guerillas. In exchange for their assistance against the Zeons, we give them food, medical, and farming equipment. I believe the farming equipment is to help them with trying times."

"They didn't ask for weapons?" Asked Matilda, surprised.

"To my honest surprise, no." Said Kojima. "I guess their leader was thinking of the future rather than the present. I guess he could also be thinking that, if they asked for weapons, we'll eventually send soldiers to eliminate them." That last sentence made Shiro nervous. He didn't like the idea of Federation troops being sent to eliminate Kiki's village, after she and her guerillas did so much for them. If it came to that, he would help them escape or flee. Even if it got him court-martialed or executed, he didn't care. He didn't betray his friends.

"He may very well be." Said Matilda before putting away her clipboard. "If that will be all, then I'll be on my way. Good luck, captain. May you prevail against the Zeons. As for you Shiro." Matilda then smiled at the young ensign. "Its good seeing you. I hope to buy you a drink after this war is over." Shiro smiled at that, bowing his head.

"Let's settle for lunch. I'm not a much of a alcohol guy." Said Shiro. Chuckling a bit at that, Matilda bid them goodbye again before leaving with her supply ships. Once they were gone, Kojima looked at Shiro.

"Alright, ensign. I think its time for us to assault the enemy." Said Kojima, fully serious. Shiro looked at Kojima in surprise.

"Are you sure, sir?" Asked Shiro. "What's with the change in tactics?" Kojima's original plan was to wait the enemy out. After determining an assault on the enemy base would be too costly, Kojima had all known entrances to the base covered with explosives and mobile suits. If any enemy units tried to escape, they'll face a barrage of bullets and explosive from the front and below them. It ran the risk of the enemy completing what Apsalus they had, but many of the officers were confident that the Guntanks or GM snipers they had can take it out before it could be used against them. Its quite a boring tactic, but one that guaranteed the safety of many of their soldiers. Of course, there were still hidden entrances that they didn't know about as evidenced by the two Zeon mobile suits that slipped past them.

"I've been discussing our current strategy with high command." Said Kojima, looking at the mountain with a frown. "While it guarantees the safety of my men, its taking too long. The officers at Jaburo are getting impatient. They want us to take it now." He then sighed. "I've tried reasoning with them, telling that there was no need to rush for victory, but they're not having it. I think they're getting anxious with the thought that an Apsalus, one that improves upon the flaws of the ones we've encountered, would slip past us and take out Jaburo. Either that or they want the data the Zeons have on the Apsalus project. Intending to use it for themselves. As much as I want to take it slow, I have no choice on this matter. Fortunately, we got reinforcements so this should be easier. However," He then looked at Shiro. "I'll be contacting the enemy. I'm going to give them a chance to surrender. They may be our enemies, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't go for a more peaceful option." Shiro nodded in agreement. He was surprised and happy that Kojima was going to give them a chance to surrender. There already was enough bloodshed in the Asian theater already and Shiro was all for giving the enemy a chance to give up and avoid more death. He was thankful that Kojima was willing to give them a chance to surrender. "I think four hours will be sufficient time for them to respond. Don't you think?" Shiro nodded in agreement.

"Is there anything else, sir?" Asked Shiro. Kojima nodded.

"Yes, there is." Said Kojima. He then took a deep breath before speaking. "I want you to be at my side, helping me with convincing the enemy to surrender." Shiro looked at Kojima with shock. He didn't expect Kojima will ask for his help in this matter.

"Why are you asking me, sir?" Asked Shiro, surprised. "With respect, I hate the Zeons with a passion for what they did to my home. Why would you ask someone that holds a grudge against the Zeons to help you in convincing a garrison to surrender?"

"You are correct to be suspicious, Shiro." Said Kojima, looking at the young man. "Rest assured, I fully intend to give them a fair chance to surrender. But I have no knowledge on the enemy. You do. If I recall, you were relatively nice to the pilot of the Apsalus in Odessa, were you not?" Just a day before the men he sent to help Odessa returned, he received two reports that concerned him.

One report claimed that Shiro should be kept under close investigations. His unprofessional care towards miss Aina had unnerved a Federation officer and he recommended to keep an eye on Shiro for any signs of traitorous thoughts. That concerned Kojima. On one hand, it could simply Shiro being a gentleman and couldn't bare to see a woman being treated like a POW. He always did have a soft spot for members of the opposite sex. But on the other, Shiro could have feelings for the woman, which would be a big red flag. If that was the case, then that was a major problem. Fraternization between soldiers of the same ship or company was frowned upon. Fraternization with an enemy soldier was even more so. If captain Ryer had caught wind of it, there would have surely been a military tribunal for Shiro. And to be frank, Kojima would have done the same if it weren't for the second report.

The 2nd report came from lieutenant Bright, the commander of the White Base, the ship that Shiro was stationed to during Operation Odessa. He added in greatly that Shiro was an excellent combatant and someone that could be trusted. He also said that, during Shiro's time with the White Base crew, he helped Amuro Ray, the pilot of the Gundam stationed on the White Base, in improving his combat skills. He ended his report by giving Shiro a recommendation for a promotion. There was also the fact that Kled would have reported, at least he thought so, in any anomaly on Shiro. Finally, in order to test his loyalty, Kojima had given him a mission in taking out a Zeon base that was giving them and the guerillas trouble. Once he and his team completed the mission with no complications, Kojima fully trusted him again.

Upon hearing that, Shiro looked at the ground.

"Is that a problem, sir?" Asked Shiro, hoping that it wasn't a problem. To his relief, Kojima shook his head.

"No, it isn't. Even it was, you've proven your loyalty to the Federation through your recent actions." Said Kojima. "No, its because of what you did with the female prisoner, that made me choose you." Raising an eyebrow, Shiro looked at Kojima in confusion. "Even though you have justifiable reasons to hate the Zeons, you don't let your hate control you. You see the enemy for what they are. People. People who have done terrible things, yes, but people nonetheless. You also have experience with diplomacy if your acts with the local guerillas are any indication." Kojima then rubbed his eyelids, tired. "Shiro, I won't lie to you. The chances of the enemy accepting to surrender will be slime. If this Ginias is as stubborn as I suspect, the Zeons will fight to the last man. Still, no matter how small the chances of them surrendering are, we must try. That's why I'm asking you to help me. You're our best shot in convincing them. I don't have much skill in diplomacy and so is everyone else. I hope I'm not giving you much pressure, ensign." Shiro just gulped as he understood the gravity of what Kojima had given him. He had given him the near impossible task of convincing a group of battle-hardened Zeon soldiers to surrender. To add more pressure, they were probably ready to go down fighting after they heard the capture of the Apsalus II with the pilot's status being unknown, which probably caused them to harden up. To top it all off, they were comrades and, perhaps, friends of Aina, his crush. Things couldn't get any worse.

"Another thing." Added Kojima. "I'm transmitting the offer of surrender in five hours. If you aren't ready to help, then I'm afraid I'll have to go ahead without you."

Shiro shouldn't have tempted fate.

* * *

 **Four hours later**

 **08** **th** **type 74 hover truck**

* * *

Groaning, Shiro slumped on his chair. Scratching his head, he wondered on what to say that could convince the Zeons to surrender. He spent the last four hours thinking of various terms and speeches that can change the minds of the Zeons within the mountain fortress, all of which he deemed to be awful or weren't good enough in his eyes. And with time running out, he was getting desperate. If he couldn't choose a speech soon, then the chances of a peaceful resolution to the current conflict the Kojima battalion was in would be at an all-time low. While Kojima was an excellent commander, he was an awful diplomat, something the man was well aware of. If it would just be him extending the offer of surrender, he'll just give it to them and give them time to consider it. Not because he didn't want a peaceful resolution, but because he didn't know what could incentivize the Zeon soldiers to surrender. And to be honest, Shiro didn't know what could.

He didn't know what those people up in the mountains were like. Were they just people that did their duty to their nations and want to get a chance to see their family again? Or were they cold-hearted killers that would rather die than surrender to their enemy? If it was the former, then he could make a good deal for them. Providing simple lodging and good food as well as promising that they'll see their home side again should be enough to incentives them to surrender. But if it was the latter, then they'll see it as an insult and fight even harder against them. And probably respond with bullets and missiles. And if was a mix of the two, then he would have to think hard on what could convince those hardliners that the Federation doesn't want more bloodshed in Asia and that they don't have to die.

Shaking his head, he was about to think of a new paper to give Kojima when Massis arrived with two cups of coffee.

"Thinking about what to say?" Asked Massis as he gave Shiro a cup of coffee before sitting down. Thanking Massis, Shiro took a sip of his coffee before speaking.

"Yeah. And with time running out, I need to hurry up and give Kojima the terms of surrender as well as ideas on how to convince the Zeons to surrender. Otherwise, he's just going to give them the option of surrender and we both know that won't do." Massis just nodded before taking a big gulp of coffee.

"Heh, pressure must be hard, boss." Said Massis. "Not only did Kojima give you the difficult task of convincing the enemy to surrender, he did it while also giving you little time to work. Sucks." Shiro just snorted while nodding. "So, what's the deal, boss? I get not wanting more bloodshed and all, but you're working rather hard on this. Why is that? Got a personal stake on this?" He didn't know it, but Massis was right on the money.

While Shiro didn't know how close Aina was to other in the Apsalus project, he knew that she cared for all of them. The fact that it was a promise from Kowen to spare as many of them as possible that convinced her to spill the Apsalus project's intended purpose, was enough to convince him that she cared for them a great deal and wanted many, if not all of them, to live. There was also the fact that it would go against his principles if he didn't even attempt to try this. He refuses to not give them a chance to surrender. Even if the chances of the Zeons surrendering were slim, he would still give them an option to just give up and accept their status as POWs. POW life was harsh and wasn't exactly a good lifestyle for people, even with the Antarctic treaty forcing the Federation to treat prisoners with respect and humanely, but it was better than being six feet under. At least, he thought so.

Putting down his cup, Shiro thought on Aina and what she said to him, about the flaws of the Federation government and the need for it to change. Ever since that talk, he and Kled had went through the history of the Federation and they learned a lot. Ever since the formation of the Federation in the late 21st century, no spacenoid has ever become a member of the Federation council. All council members were born of Earth. A few spacenoids, like Kowen, did become influential, albeit with some opposition, in the military, but they were few and far between the various earthborn elite. At first, things were fine. The Federation wasn't too authoritarian in its policing of the sides and the spacenoids. Aside from the colonies paying a tax to the Federation and people protesting about being forced off of Earth, things were relatively fine. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst when the Universal Century began.

On the first year of the Universal Century, a terrorist attack had killed the first Federation prime minister, Ricardo Marcenas, in his resident colony of Laplace, which was intended to be an orbital station between Earth and outer space. The attack came while the man was stating the new charter that would shape the Federation of the Universal Century. The attack was done well, if a bit excessive. The terrorists, whoever they are, reprogrammed the colony's upper optical disc's solar panels to concentrate solar rays into the colony's residential blocks, killing everyone including Ricardo Marcenas. And right when he was announcing the various articles that composed the new charter. As a result of the death of Ricardo, the relations between earthnoids and spacenoids have soured ever since with earthnoids believing that it was the spacenoids that caused the terrorist attack while the spacenoids thought it was the earthnoids that caused it. Both have their reasons.

Ricardo Marcenas was part of the faction of the Federation that, at least back then, favored more inauguration of spacenoids in government politics. That alone gave him plenty of enemies from the more conservative parts of the government. That being said, no one in the Federation government hated Ricardo too much to have him killed. He may have been fine with integrating spacenoids in Federation politics, but he didn't really do much in pushing efforts to have them integrated in politics. The man was too focused on improving the conditions on Earth over the representation of the Sides. So, really, even if the conservatives hated his opinions on spacenoids, there was no reason for any of them to have him killed.

For the earthnoids, they thought that, since Ricardo didn't do much in pushing for spacenoid representation in the Federation council, the spacenoids would kill him because of it, thinking he was a hypocrite or used them to climb up the politic ladder. Something that was flimsy at best. Still, not matter the reasoning behind the terrorist attack, the results were still the same. The attack and death of Ricardo Marcenas had forced the Federation to tighten their grip on the sides as well as making the party that went against spacenoid integration in Federation politics to take the reins of government.

Under the leadership of George Marcenas, the son of Ricardo Marcenas, the Federation released the charter, the one that they claim Ricardo Marcenas intended to release, as well as tightening their grip on the sides. They also set blocks that prevented spacenoids from becoming members of the Earth Federation council. While they couldn't outright forbid spacenoids from becoming members of the Federation council on account of article 11 of the charter, they did place various fees, paperwork, and the like that stopped spacenoids from becoming council members, at least for a year or two. As a result of the long time, most spacenoids that engaged in politicians rather be politicians of their own sides right now rather than become a politician of a government that discriminated against them.

Along with that, the Federation increased the military budget and size as well as expanding the garrisons of the sides, to the point of being claimed as overkill. Combined those two thing, along with increasing annoyance from the sides of being subjected to increase in taxes or new laws that didn't favor them, it didn't take a genius to think that war would come. The only thing that no one accounted was how far the war would go.

Shaking his head, Shiro thought of Ricardo Marcenas and what he would have done when he saw all this.

" **Would he try to give the spacenoids more freedoms? Or would he be against giving them more freedoms?"** Thought Shiro as he looked at his cup of coffee. Whether the man thought, it didn't matter. What mattered was the choices that the living made and what they will decide after this war is over. Hopefully it'll be for the better, for all of them. Sighing, Shiro then thought back to Aina.

" **Aina, I understand now."** Thought Shiro. **"The only question I have left is…can people just let go of their hate and distrust of opposing sides to make a better future for the human race? Can they let go off all the suffering and pain that each side had caused to each other to make a better government for all?"** Sighing, he looked at Massis, who looked at the clock.

"Got only forty minutes." Said Massis, looking at Shiro. "Think you can make a good speech to convince those Zeons to surrender?" Sighing, Shiro looked at all the scraps of paper that had his work.

"I don't know." Said Shiro, collecting all of it. "I just don't know if I can convince them to surrender peacefully. I mean, we killed so many of their friends and comrades. We may have captured some of them, but we killed a lot more than we let go. All of whom have friends and family back home. And some of them are bound to be friends with the people we killed. I doubt many of them are eager to surrender to us."

"You don't know that." Said Massis, placing his cup somewhere safe. "I bet that their conditions aren't exactly too spectacular. Cut off from support and with no way to leave, they'll be desperate. We could use that to help bring this over with." Shiro shook his head.

"Or they could be trying to let our guard down." Said Shiro. "They don't know anything about their supplies or situation. What if they accept the surrender just to let get our guard down? What then?"

"Then you've done the best that you could have done." Said Massis. "And they made their choice." Upon seeing the look of uncertainty on Shiro's face, Massis sighed. "Look, what's going on man? Why are you so…obsessed with convincing them to surrender?" Sighing, Shiro looked at Massis.

"It's just that…this war has killed too many humans already. I just want to prevent more blood being spilled." Getting what he was saying, Massis shook his head.

"So you think that, if you fail to convince them to surrender peacefully, then its your fault that more blood is spilled?" Massis just sighed. "Sorry boss, but that's a load of crap. You can't change one's attitude or beliefs that much to the point that they're a different person. The best you can do in this situation is do the best that you can and hope for the best. If they accept the surrender, that's great. But if they don't, you don't need to beat yourself up over it. It's their fault for not accepting. You can't change a stubborn warhorse's attitude or those crazies that are all for honor and the like, Shiro. If they want to fight, then fight them so they won't kill anymore of our side. Then after they're all dead and you're still alive, then move on and hope that the next one will be more reasonable. That's what I think. How about you?" Shiro just looked at the ground.

"I don't know. I still feel like its my fault for not being better at convincing them to surrender." Groaning, Massis shook his hair.

"Then just use your failure as a way to improve. Look, boss, I'm not good at this shit as that AI of yours, but you can't always be successful in life. Sometimes you lose and do so awful that you question your competence. And you got two options when you lose. You either suck it up and use it as a way to improve or wallow in the loss and drag a lot of people down because you're bitter of that lose. And, with respect, I would beat you senseless if you wallow in a single loss, boss. Because that'll be a far cry from the brave and, dare I way it, crazy man that I've come to respect." He then placed a hand on Shiro. "So, would you suck it up, be a soldier, and do your duty. Because if you don't go now, then captain Kojima will go on without you." With that, Massis left the truck, leaving Shiro alone. Once he was gone, Shiro looked at his notes and Massis's cup of coffee, abandoned by its owner. Looking back and forth between the two items, and recalling his past missions, Shiro realized that Massis was right.

He was nothing like his past self. He was too busy worrying of the failures of his assignment that he wasn't his usual confident self. And that was a no no. A commanding officer that wasn't confident in his abilities will lead to deaths in his team and the battalion he was serving on. And that would be a violation of the one thing that he swore when he became commander of the 08th MS team. Everyone would come out of this war alive. And if he wallowed in thinking of his potential failure, then he would be risking the lives of his men and he refused to do that anymore than he had to. Shaking his head, he began to look at his notes.

" **Well, I got about ten minutes left before I need to go."** Thought Shiro as he looked through his notes. **"Better proofread this stuff fast."**

* * *

 **Thirty minutes later**

 **Kojima's big tray**

* * *

"I must admit, you cut it a bit close, ensign." Said Kojima as he stood behind a comm officer, who was prepared to relay his terms of surrender to an open channel. Shiro stood at attention next to Kojima.

"My apologies, sir." Said Shiro. "It was a stressful assignment and I took more time than necessary." Kojima shook his head.

"No, its alright." Said Kojima. "To be frank, I should apologize to you for giving you so little time to do this assignment. Putting up a convincing argument against the Zeons is a tricky business, especially if you don't know the personality of the one in charge." Shiro nodded, praying that the Zeon commander will see reason. Coughing, Kojima looked at the comm officer. "Alright corporal, start the transmission." With a nod, the man opened an open comm channel. After a few minutes passed, Kojima spoke, now certain that the enemy can hear him.

"This is captain Kojima of the Earth Federation. I wish to speak to the commander of the Zeon garrison that is in charge of the Apsalus project. I will go straight to the point. My forces have surrounded your base and we have just received reinforcements with more on the way." A lie. Made in an attempt to convince the Zeons to surrender. "Any attempts to leave will result in your deaths. As much it would please me superiors to storm your base and fight you, I wish not to do so. I'm offering you all the chance to surrender peacefully. If you do so, I will personally ensure that you will all be treated as humanely as possible. I will also personally ensure that you all will be safely transported back to Side 3 when this war is over. Failure to respond in twenty-four hours will result in my forces storming your fortress, causing blood to be spilled once more on this godforsaken mountain. Please, for the sake of your families, your friends, and the future generation, surrender. To help in my argument, one of my pilots wishes to speak with you all." Giving Shiro the spotlight, Kojima walked a few feet away, giving Shiro some space. Swallowing, Shiro spoke as loudly as possible.

"I implore you, as my officer did, to surrender." Said Shiro. "There's no point in spilling more blood, whether its Federation or Zeon blood. Even if you want to continue the fighting, your stubbornness to continue fighting and killing will make people weep for you or even angry at you because you died in a pointless fight when there was another way." Taking a deep breath and clenching his fists, Shiro continued. "I won't lie to you all, I hate Zeon. They're the ones that killed my home colony and everyone I knew in it. My family, my friends. They're all gone because your nation used G3 gas on my colonies. I can never forgive your people for what they've done to the other Sides, especially Side 5, but that doesn't mean I won't give you all a chance to surrender. And don't think that I want to give you a chance to surrender because I want to torture or something akin. No! If I do something like that or condone it from my faction, then I'm no better that the people that killed my colony. I say that, not as a soldier of the Federation, but as a decent human being! And as decent human being, I beg of you to surrender! If not for you, then for the sake of the friends, family, and lover you doubtlessly have back at Side 3. And if you don't have them, then look at your fellow soldiers! I'm sure more than half of you have someone back home, waiting for you, praying for your safe return, even if it's the form of a prison transfer! So please," Shiro then took a pleading tone. "Do it for them. Please." With that, he stopped and looked at Kojima, who motioned for the comm officer to end the transmission. With the enemy no longer capable of hearing them, Kojima patted Shiro on the shoulder.

"Good speech, ensign." Said Kojima. "Very good speech. I couldn't have done much better myself. Let's hope that they're willing to listen to reason." Shiro nodded, praying that they'll listen to reason as well.

* * *

 **The next day**

* * *

"Times almost up." Said Kojima with a worried tone as he looked at his forces, ready to storm the enemy base in case the Zeon refused to surrender. Its been twenty hours since Kojima offered the offer of surrender and they haven't received any word from the Zeon forces. As time passed, Kojima feared that they refused the terms of surrender and were hunkering down for a last stand. If they did, then Kojima was prepared to do what was necessary. Still, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. Was there really no peaceful solution available to them? Are both Federation and Zeon doomed to an endless conflict? If so, then what does that say for the human race.

Sighing, he radioed all mobile suits team to be on guard in case the enemy tries to do anything funny. With that, he ordered their sniper team to get into sniper positions. If the enemy did have another Apsalus ready to go, then having something other than their Guntanks will help out a great deal. Another hour passed and everyone was now in position. With just three hours left, Kojima wondered if he should start the attack now, catch the enemy off guard. When that thought registered in his mind, he immediately squashed it down. Even captain Ryer wouldn't have done such an underhanded tactic. If conflict was to happen, it'll happen after the time allotted to the Zeons was all used up. Not before. Looking at the mountain fortress, he wondered what the Zeons were planning. Hopefully its something that'll benefit them all.

* * *

 **Three hours later**

* * *

Looking at his watch, Kojima saw that time was nearly up for the Zeons. It seems that they refused to surrender and would rather go down fighting. Sighing, he looked at the mountain fortress, wondering why the forces in it were so stubborn. It seems that conflict was the future for both Zeon and the Federation it seemed. He was about to mobile suit teams to get ready for an assault when one of his comm officer yelled out to him.

"Sir! We're getting a transmission from the Zeons!" Yelled the comm officer. Widening his eyes in surprise, Kojima rushed toward the officer and asked if he was certain that it was the Zeons. "Yes sir. It matches known Zeon transmission codes. Should I put it on the line?" Kojima nodded. Hopefully it was telling them that the Zeons wanted to surrender. With that, the comm officer put the transmission on the line, allowing them to hear whatever the Zeons have to say.

"Um…is this the Federation commander I'm speaking to." A small, probably nervous, female voice spoke to them. Coughing, Kojima spoke.

"Yes, I'm the Federation commander. With respect, I'm hoping that you've accepted my terms of surrender." With a sigh of relief, the voice spoke out.

"Yes, the remaining high-ranking officers have decided to accept your terms of surrender. We'll all be leaving the base in one of the main entrances. Please don't shoot us." Kojima sighed in relief at that. Finally, something that went peacefully for a change.

"That's good to hear. If I may ask, is Ginias Sahalin one of those officers?" The silence that came from his question made Kojima realize that Ginias was the reason that the Zeons took so long to respond to his offer of surrender.

"There was a coup." Admitted the woman. "Ginias Sahalin refused to listen to the other officers and wanted to use the nearly completed Apsalus to destroy your forces. When it was clear that he would refuse to listen to reason, the other officers mutinied against him. A firefight broke out and out of the officers remaining, only two, including Ginias, remained." Kojima sighed at that. That was just peachy.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Give us a few minutes and I'll tell the men guarding the entrances to not shoot at any of you." Said Kojima.

"Yes sir. Thank you sir!" Cried the woman with relief before ending the transmission. Sighing again, Kojima hoped that this was the last fight in Asia.

* * *

 **An hour later**

* * *

"I'm glad that a peaceful resolution was made here, sir." Said Shiro as he and Kojima saw the other troops escorting the Zeon soldiers away from their base. After inspecting them all for any hidden weapons or bombs, the soldiers were escorting them to their field base, where they will remain there until they can relocate them to a permanent military prison, preferably one that had Aina Sahalin in it. Mostly because of her brother, who was under constant guard as the man yelled profusely at the Federation, trying to get away from their grip and the like.

"You're not the only one Shiro." Said Kojima as he looked at the ensign. "If I may ensign, I think that you did a good job in convincing them to surrender."

"Sir, I didn't really do much." Said Shiro. "I just reminded them that some of them had families back home. Something that you included in your own little speech."

"True, but you told them of what happened to you and that might have convinced them that not all of us want them dead, even if they did unspeakable horrors on us." Said Kojima. "I'm recommending you for a promotion. Not just for this, but also for your actions in the Asia front as well as Odessa. You earned it."

"Thank you, sir." Said Shiro, bowing his head slightly. With that done, he looked at the mountain. "What will we do with this base, sir?"

"Well, assuming that they haven't scuttled the Apsalus they told me was close to being completed or any of its data, the Federation will likely take any and all data in the base for their own use." Said Kojima. **"And probably pardon the scientists that survived so they can help with making more of these things for the Federation."** Sighing, he looked at Shiro. "Son, I need to go do some paperwork. I want to keep an eye on the prisoners for their safety. Just because we both want peace, doesn't mean the other soldiers want it as well. They might want to deal some payback on the prisoners. Or maybe have some fun with some of the women." Kojima then tiled his head toward a beautiful blue head woman that was being escorted by two Federation soldiers. Getting what Kojima was saying, Shiro nodded.

"Don't worry, sir. My men will make sure they're protected." Said Shiro before taking off. With Shiro gone, Kojima looked at the mountain fortress.

" **If we can make peace here, then I imagine we can do the same with other Zeon holdouts on Earth. The question is…can we do the same with those stationed in Solomon or Granada?"**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

 **RedRat8- Well so long as the people in charge of protecting those POWs are decent folk, then yeah.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- I won't deny that the SEED timeline would be a more appropriate for that theme and I agree that its really hard to push for peace when your enemy has gassed several million people and then sent one of those gassed colonies on your specie's home world. So, even if some disagree, there will reprieves against Zeon for their many atrocities.**

 **As for the Ez8, in hindsight, I should have explained why it was made better. Basically, Shiro and Kled wanted to get back in the fight quicker, so they had the engineers quickly ramshackle a repair on their destroyed Gundam. That and the fact that, despite the win on Odessa, they haven't secured a good supply chain for the forces on the Asian front.**

 **R reyes- The one with California will be done after the White Base takes off from Jaburo and to space, I promise you that. I won't run out of names of AIs and OCs. The OCs will probably be generic names, but its better than nothing.**

 **For Shiro's team, they'll be given GM mobile suits, preferably the GM command series of snipers. I don't think the Gundam ground type will be retrofitted for space combat, at least in tie for the 08** **th** **MS team to do anything significant in the last few months of the war. Besides, the GM command and GM Sniper II should have eclipsed them in performance by the time they were introduced, even if they're mass-produced models.**

 **As for that crossover idea, maybe. But, first a couple of rules.**

 **1** **st** **, no pairing between Amuro and any other character from Star Fox. By the time of Solomon, Chan and Amuro would have already been in a relationship together. It wouldn't make any sense for Amuro to cheat on her, especially for something that is, essentially, a sentient animal.**

 **Another thing, while this may sound hypocritical given I ship Ragna and Noel of Blazblue together (They're technically siblings…I think.), but why the heck would I ever ship a human with a, again, a talking animal? I know this is kind of jerkish move, but I just can't do it.**

 **Last thing, say I do it, I have free rein to do what I please with it. So, if I do this, I do the setting and when in the timeline in the UC that Amuro gets sent to the Star Fox universe. Sounds jerkish, I know, but that's just how I do things with requests.**

 **Thekiller7- There'll probably be longer interludes later on, so I apologize if you can't stomach those.**

* * *

 **Jaburo**

* * *

"But sir!" Yelled Fraw as she spoke to Bright, who kept silent. "The kids don't deserve this! They've been with us since the start! They've grown attached to us and consider us family. To rob them of their only source of family is just plain wrong! Its inhuman! Please reconsider!" Once Fraw was done, Bright sighed and looked at her with sympathetic eyes.

"Listen Fraw, I understand where you're going on with this, but its for their own good." Said Bright. Upon seeing her glare at him, he brought up his hand. "Let me finish, please." Upon seeing her puff her cheeks out, but nodding her head to let him speak, he continued. "While I understand your love for the orphaned children, you've been taking care of them since the start, the problem is that the White Base is a military warship. All of us are now in the military, whether we like it or not. And because of our status as a warship, we can't allow children, no matter how attached we are to them, to stay on this ship. I'm sorry, but they have to stay here in a Jaburo orphanage. End of discussion." Fraw opened her mouth to speak, but then decided against it. Instead, she just stormed off the bridge and to her quarters. Sighing, Bright looked at Hayato, who looked in worry at Fraw. When he spotted Bright looking at him, he stood at attention.

"Anything that you need me to do, sir?" Asked Hayato. Bright nodded before speaking.

"Keep an eye on Fraw." Said Bright. "Comfort her and make her accept that we have to do this. I don't like this anymore than her, but we have to. They've seen too much combat already, to make them see more is just criminal." Hayato just nodded before going away from the bridge. With him gone, Bright sighed as he slumped on his chair.

"You okay, Bright?" Asked Mirai as she walked over, concerned for her captain. "It couldn't be easy for you to say such things to Fraw."

"No, it wasn't." Said Bright. "But it had to be said. We can't let those kids stay on this ship any longer. It'll be inhumane of us to let them stay here just because they want to. And I can't transfer some of my crew just to take care of them while we're away. We need everyone here to man this ship effectively."

"Well, we can spare Fraw, though I don't think that she'll want to either. She's also too attached to the crew as well." Said Mirai, causing Bright to nod in agreement. "So, are you going to stand by your decision to make the children stay here in Jaburo?" Bright nodded at that.

"Don't try to dissuade me from this decision, Mirai. It needs to be done. I just can't bear the thought of those kids dying because we decided to let them stay on our ship. While I have high confidence in our pilots, you and I both know that there's always the chance that a random shot can destroy the White Base and taking us all with it, including those children." Mirai nodded, agreeing with Bright. Still, she couldn't help but feel for Fraw. It was clear to her that Fraw was attached to the children, perhaps to the point of seeing them as her children. Unfortunately, she also had an attachment to the crew as well. Meaning that she would have to choose staying behind with the children or stay with the crew. Like she said, she felt for Fraw. Before she could do anything, the door to the bridge open and a very familiar person came inside.

"Well, its nice to be here again." Said Whitley as he arrived with admiral Kowen, who had arrived to inspect the installation of the artificial intelligence for the White base as well as meeting with Bright again. Upon hearing Whitley's voice, Bright got up and walked up to the doctor.

"Good to see you again, doctor." Said Bright with a smile, extending his hand out in greeting, something that the doctor accepted. "How has life been since leaving the White Base?"

"Can't complain when you get used to the soft beds and hot meals here in Jaburo." Said Whitley. "Still, I'm happy that I'm serving with you people again." Bright nodded his head in agreement at that. "So, I take you heard of the new upgrades that are being given to the White Base." Bright nodded again.

To be frank, he was surprised the Federation was giving the White Base itself an artificial intelligence since they have a handful now with the addition of the 4th Immortal team.

"Yes I have, when will the installation take place?"

"In about three hours." Said Kowen, walking up to Bright. "Along with that, we're going to make some refits to your hanger space in order for you to hold more mobile suits and fighters as well as adding some additional computer systems and equipment to the ship so that you can escape Earth's atmosphere easier as well as automating your defenses. All of which should be supplemented with your AI." Bright nodded.

"And has the AI been given a name?" Kowen nodded.

"Actually, it picked it itself." Said Kowen as a team of engineers arrived with a black box. "It calls itself Fulcrum. And its currently inside that black box. Once its installed, you can interact with it some speakers we're installing on the bridge." With that, the engineers began to install the AI into the White Base's systems.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Hayato**

* * *

"Come on, Fraw." Said Hayato as he knocked on her door. "Being pouty and throwing a tantrum isn't the way to handle this situation." When he didn't get an answer, he sighed. "At least let me in." With that, the door suddenly opened, revealing Fraw, glaring at him. Sighing again, Hayato tried to reason with Fraw. "Fraw, listen. You have to admit that Bright has a good point. They're children. We can't keep putting them in danger in this war anymore."

"But they'll be all alone! With no one that they know and can provide comfort when they're scared." Argued Fraw, causing Hayato to sigh.

"Well, with respect, can't you stay behind with them, so they have a good parental figure around that they trust?" Asked Hayato. As soon as the sentence left his mouth, Fraw glared at him.

"Are you saying that I'm not capable of being with you guys, anymore!?" Yelled Fraw. Upon hearing that, Hayato widened his eyes in shock. Seeing that she took his sentence the wrong way, Hayato tried to defend himself.

"No! That's not what I mean!" Said Hayato, bringing up his shaking hands. "I'm just saying that, since you're around the kids the most out of all of us, they can accept staying behind if you're with them. I mean, you haven't done much but tell people they're food is ready or take care of the kids so they don't interrupt us." Upon hearing that last sentence, Fraw glared even harder and slapped Hayato before slamming her door shut. Holding his burning cheek in shock, Hayato groaned as he slammed his head on the door repeatedly.

"Me and my big mouth." Groaned Hayato as he wondered how in the heck is, he going to make up with Fraw after this. Just as he was about to hit his head on the door again, someone pulled his away from the door, stopping him. Shocked, Hayato turned around to see Ryu. Upon seeing the older man, Hayato relaxed, causing Ryu to let go.

"You're not going to get Fraw's forgiveness by banging your head on her door, Hayato." Said Ryu as he led Hayato away. "If anything, that's just going to anger her even more."

"You saw all that, didn't you?" Asked Hayato nervously. Just what he needed. An audience for his fuck up. The smile from Ryu told Hayato that the man did indeed saw everything.

"I was on my way to my room when I heard you two arguing. Didn't get much, but I figured that it was about the kids." Hayato nodded.

"She's just being so stubborn, Ryu." Said Hayato as they stopped to look at each other. "She doesn't want to leave the kids behind alone, but at the same time, she also doesn't want to be left behind with the kids. I tried to tell her that she had the option of staying behind with them, but she took it as me saying that she was useless on the ship and that we didn't need her." Ryu nodded, putting his hands on his chin.

"Yeah, I can see her doing that." Said Ryu. "Anger can make people quite difficult to get through." Hayato nodded in agreement.

"Now she won't talk to me and locked herself in her room. I don't know what to do." Ryu looked at Hayato in sympathy, feeling sorry for the poor kid that he saw as a little brother. "Can you help me out, Ryu? Maybe she'll listen to you." Ryu just shook his head.

"I doubt that she'll listen to me either, Hayato. For any of the other crew for that matter. In her point of view right now, everyone that isn't siding with her is with Bright. And to be frank, everyone kind of is. So we have to get someone that she trusts to be a moderator in this little problem we have. Know anyone that can work this out?" Hayato shook his head as he tried to think of who can help them at the moment. He doubted that Fraw will allow Mirai to help, seeing that she was the 2nd in command of the ship. She'll probably see her siding with Bright, no matter what. Kai would only just aggravate her with his puns and teasing. He didn't know much of Isaac or Al to know if they can be of any help. He knew that Chan and Amuro left to see Chan's family and he didn't want to intrude them on such a happy meeting. That left only Sayla. Upon thinking of the blond-haired woman, Hayato brightened up.

She should be perfect for this role. Like Fraw, she cared for the kids, even helping with taking care of them when she had the time to do so. And when the two had time to talk with each other, they got along quite well and understood each other. Surely Sayla would help out.

"I think I got someone that can help. Sayla." Ryu just nodded, agreeing with Hayato.

"I know where she is. I'll lead you to her." With that, Ryu led Hayato to where Sayla was currently located.

* * *

 **Sayla**

* * *

" **Why?"** Thought Sayla as she thought of Char, the Red Comet. **"Why did you come back?"** His recent return was of concern to many, but to Sayla, it was more. And that was due to a devastating thought that has been on her mind since she had meet Char back at Side 7. Back before Amuro had picked her up in the Gundam, she actually encountered Char rummaging the ruins of some Project V prototypes that were destroyed in the initial Zaku attack of Side 7. She had her gun pointed at Char, but once he removed his mask, she was stunned with what he looked like behind his mask. Her moment of weakness was enough for Char to kick her gun away from her hand, forcing to take a step back. In that moment, Char could have picked up her gun or his own and killed her right there. Instead, to her own shock, he just starred at her in barely contained disbelief. She couldn't hear him over her own shock at being disarmed so quickly along with the initial shock with seeing his face, but she could have sworn that he said Artesia, her real name. Before he could speak some more, Amuro arrived with the Gundam. Realizing that he was outmatched, the Red Comet quickly left, putting his mask and helmet back on. With the arrival of Amuro, she quickly left got onboard the White Base, but not before thinking that Char was her brother. After that, though, she didn't put much thought of the Red Comet as she was too busy making sure that Amuro, and later on, Kai, Hayato, and Ryu survived the countless battles they had to do to protect the White Base.

But now with the return of the Red Comet, the initial thoughts that she had that Char Aznable was her brother came back in full force. With his return, she thought back to when she saw his face and his eyes. And how they were blue and not brown like back, not like back when she first met him in the Texas colony. The fact that they were brown and not blue was the reason for her shock. Just seeing those blue eyes made her think that Char was her brother. A reason for this was the way he acted. When she saw him, Char acted so cold and calculating, not caring who he hurt or killed, which was a far cry from the cheerful and kind person she meet during her childhood. She, at first, thought that it was due to the training regime that the Zabis put up on their various military academies, but then she remembered the time that Casval had beat up a stranger. The cold way that he beat the man up scared her as she was just a kid back then. She, thankfully, made him stop before he could seriously hurt the man. Much as she hated to admit it, she was sure that her brother would be that type of man that would easily be the one that she confronted. He changed from the kind, if a bit anti-social person, that she grew up with before their father died. There was also the fact that, before she left the Texas colony, she had a troubling thought that Char was the one that died in the transport incident that took her brother's life, or so she thought at the time, and that Casval, somehow, swapped identities with him in order to take his place in the military academy, all for his want for revenge against the Zabi family for supposedly killing their father.

Sighing, she wondered how Casval came to be this way. She knew that Jimba had kept drilling the thought that the Zabis were the reason that their father died, but she never put much thought into it. Probably because she saw that Jimba Ral was a bit too obsessed with his crazy theories. She thought that Casval simply pretended that he believed Jimba so as to make the man happy, but looking back at it now, he probably believed the old man that took care of them. Perhaps if Casval didn't believe Jimba theory that it was the Zabi's that killed their father, if he didn't see Char Aznable, then perhaps he would be here right now by her side. She was so caught up with her thoughts that she almost didn't hear the knocks on her door. Upon hearing the knocks, she got up and went to her door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Hayato and Ryu.

"What is it?" Asked Sayla as she looked at the two with surprise, wondering why they were here. Ryu simply coughed before speaking.

"We need your help with a little situation. Its about Fraw." Upon hearing that, she opened the door and let the two inside. Once they were inside, Ryu went on to explain the situation. "She's a bit crossed off with all of us for forcing the orphans off the ship. Hayato tried to explain the situation to her, but he made it worse by instituting that she wasn't needed on the ship." Hayato lowered his head in shame at that, knowing that it was true. "So, we're asking you to help us with this. She might listen to you." Sayla bit her lip at that.

"I don't know if I'm the right person for this, guys. Why not ask Mirai or Amuro to do this?" Hayato then spoke up.

"We would, but Fraw would probably see her as taking side of Bright, no matter what, and Amuro is busy with Chan's family to actually help out, so we're asking you to do this. Will you help?" Upon seeing the pleading look from Hayato, Sayla sighed before nodding.

"Alright, but you need to come with me Hayato. You need to apologize to Fraw. I know that it sounds stupid but you kind of have to in order to get her to calm down." Nodding his head, Hayato listened to Sayla as she told him to tell her everything.

* * *

 **Few hours later**

* * *

Fraw was sulking on top of her bed, thinking of Katz, Kikka, and Letz. They didn't deserve this. They suffered too much already at Side 7, losing their family then. They didn't deserve to lose their new adopted family again. She knew that she had no power over Bright's decision and that, no matter what she did, the kids will be put in an orphanage in Jaburo. It just wasn't fair. As she continued to brood, she heard knocking on her door. Thinking that it was either Hayato or another person trying to convince her that putting the kids in an orphanage in Jaburo was the best course of actions, she yelled out.

"Go away! Nothing you can say will convince me to go along with this plan of Bright!" yelled Fraw. Hearing a sigh, she heard the voice of Sayla.

"At least open the door so you can say it to my face, Fraw." Said Sayla as she waited for Fraw to open the door. "I'm not going away until you listen to what I have to say. There's also someone that needs to talk to you. Just…please open the door." Sayla waited patiently for a couple of minutes. After ten minutes passed, Sayla was about to speak again when the door opened, revealing Fraw. Widening her eyes in surprise, Sayla was shocked to see that Fraw's eyes were bloodshot from crying and that her hair and uniform was so messy. She could see bits of hair sticking out of her normally neat hairdo. She was so surprised at her disheveled appearance that she almost didn't see Fraw's scowl. Fortunately, she noticed just in time to shove her foot past the door, preventing Fraw from closing the door. Unfortunately for her, though, Fraw intended to slam the door shut, thus Sayla winced when the door rammed into her leg. Widening her eyes in shock, Fraw quickly let go and knelt down to inspect Sayla's hurt leg.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Sayla!" Yelled Fraw as she looked at Sayla, who simply smiled despite the pain.

"Its alright." Said Sayla as she quickly went inside with Hayato, the reason for Fraw's scowl. Before Fraw could scowl again, Sayla quickly went to Fraw's bed, ignoring the pain in her leg, and sat down. With Sayla on her bed, Fraw ignored Hayato and looked at Sayla, worried for her. Upon seeing the worried look on Fraw's face, Sayla looked at Fraw with a stoic face.

"So, I've heard that you're upset over Bright's decision on putting the kids in an orphanage in Jaburo. Is that true?" Upon hearing that, Fraw frowned, knowing what Sayla was about to do.

"Sayla, if your trying to convince me, then you're sorely mis…" She couldn't say anymore when Sayla raised her hand up to stop her from speaking.

"Just hear me out. After I'm done, you can tell me what you still think. And if you still think that letting the kids stay on this ship is a good idea, then I'll drop the subject and I'll even tell everyone else to stop trying to convince you that letting them stay here in a bad idea. Deal?" Frowning, Fraw just nodded, accepting the terms. With that, Sayla began. "First of all, Hayato wants to say something to you." Looking at Hayato, Sayla motioned for him to speak. With a sigh, Hayato quickly went down on his knees and placed his forehead on the ground, pointing directly at Fraw, shocking her.

"Fraw, I beg for your forgiveness." Said Hayato as he continued to bow at Fraw. "I realize what I said was wrong and that it offended you. I should have been more tact with my words. You're a valuable part of this crew, Fraw. While it's not as as glamorous as being a captain of a ship or as important as a mobile suit pilot, you're still an important part of this ship. You provide that link that's important to soldiers. To remind them of what they're fighting for. Not to kill. Not to get paid. But to fight for the innocent and the people that don't deserve to be killed in this war. What I said back just a few hours ago hurt you in ways that I didn't thought were possible at the time. I regret them and I beg for your forgiveness." Shocked to hear this confession, Fraw looked at Hayato in pity before knelling down and lifted his head so he can look at her. Seeing the genuine sorrow in his eyes, Fraw smiled a bit.

"I forgive you, Hayato." Said Fraw before lifting him up and hugging him. "I understand where you were going with, but it hurt when you said such things to me. I may be as skilled in fighting with as you and the other pilots, nor am I good with tech as Chan, but I still try my hardest to do my part in the White Base. So, it hurt when you said that I'm ultimately expendable in the grand scheme of things." Hayato lowered his head in shame at that.

"I know and I'm sorry for that. I promise you to never say such a thing again to you. I swear it." Fraw actually laughed at that. Shaking her head, she let go of Hayato and smiled again.

"I'll hold you to that." With that, she let go and looked at Sayla, who looked at the reconciliation with a small smile. "So, I guess you're here to convince me now, right?" Now back at topic, Sayla nodded and adopted a more serious stance.

"I'll be frank with you, Fraw. What you're doing right now is unacceptable." Fraw bit her lip at that. "To be frank, you're acting like a spoiled brat. I know that you don't want to take away the only family the kids had since we left Side 7, but this isn't the way. If anything, all you're doing is convincing people that Bright is right in putting the kids in an orphanage. When they see both sides, with one acting cool and collected while the other acts like a child, they'll likely side with the one that's acting like an adult. And to be frank, even if you're my friend, I have to agree with Bright on this. What happens when an enemy mobile suit slips past our pilots or our anti-mobile suit defenses? We'll be easy pickings as it tears through our armor, eventually destroying our ship. Or worse, what if we're in range of a Zeon ship's mega particle cannons and they hit our reactor? We all go up in a fiery explosion, kids included." Upon hearing that, Fraw paled. She hadn't put much thought into the fact that such a thing can happen. She just assumed that Amuro and the other pilots would protect them from danger, like they always have. But what if they're too distracted with enemy mobile suits and there were more mobile suits than they had? Or if they got flanked by another enemy ship that they didn't know of? While they can fight off a Musai with ease so long as they avoided the initial mega cannon barrage, if they didn't evade the barrage, all it took was a single mega particle beam to hit their reactor and they'll go up in a fiery explosion. And what about a large-scale battle? One where each side had hundred of ships and thousands of mobile suits. The chances of someone dying in the chaos of that would rise exponentially. As she thought of the many ways one can die in the battlefield, some glamourous and others rather shameful, the prospect of bringing the kids seemed less and less appealing. While she was ready to die, she had no family members left after all, that didn't mean the kids were so willing. Still, Fraw couldn't leave them all alone.

"I get what you're saying, Sayla, but we shouldn't leave them alone. They need someone they know to take care of them." Said Fraw, thinking of the kids and how they'll react to this. Sayla, knowing how it felt being left alone by the one's they love, nodded.

"I know." Said Sayla, remembering her mother and her brother. "And though it may seem offensive, you're really the only one that we can afford to leave behind. Everyone else is simply too valuable to leave the ship or don't know the kids enough for them to trust them. I'm sorry, I know you want to stay on the ship too, but you also have to stay behind in order to take care of them. It's a matter of duty and what it seems." Fraw and Hayato nodded in agreement. Sighing, Sayla looked at Fraw with pity. "So, what's it going to be? You have about four days before you have to make a choice, Fraw. Not to pressure you, but you should make it soon, so you have time to help the kids adjusting to being only with you or being on their own." With that Sayla got up, her task done. As she passed Hayato, she looked at him. "Try to help Fraw through this. Even suggest talking with Amuro. He's a close friend of Fraw so he should be able to help with this. That is if we can find out where Chan's family is." Nodding, Hayato watched as Sayla left the room. With her gone, he looked to see Fraw sitting on her bed, in thought. Swallowing, Hayato stepped up.

"Anything I can do, Fraw?" Asked Hayato, nervous. The young woman didn't speak for a few minutes, making Hayato more nervous, before she eventually did.

"I don't know what to do, Hayato." She looked at Hayato with tearful eyes. "A part of me wants to stay and help you guys in this fight, but the other wants me to stay behind and take care of the kids. I just don't know what to do." She then looked at the ground. "If I stay behind, I'll feel like a coward for staying behind in relative safety while you guys are risking your lives to end this war. But I also feel shame if I leave the kids behind here." With that tears began to fall to the floor. "I don't know what to do!" And so, the sobbing happened. As he watched Fraw sob, Hayato couldn't help but feel sorry for Fraw. No matter what she choose, she would feel horrible for one group or the other. Shaking his head, he sat down next to Fraw and began to pat her back.

"There, there." Said Hayato as he patted Fraw's back. "Just let it all out." As he watched her cry, he couldn't help but wonder if he should call Amuro to help him. Much as he wanted to call Amuro and ask him to come here to help his friend, he didn't want to. He needed to do this by himself and himself alone now. He just needed to figure out how to do this without causing more waterworks. After a few more minutes of crying, Fraw stopped and wiped her face with her sleeve.

"What do I do?" Asked Fraw, looking at Hayato. Sighing, Hayato brought Fraw into a hug and held her tightly. As she buried her face on Hayato's chest, the boy wondered on what to say to her that can help her deal with the choice that she had to make. After a few minutes, Fraw calmed down enough for Hayato to speak to her.

"I don't know what to say to make you feel better, both choices are though for you to make, but, forgive if this offends, its better for you to stay behind and take care of the kids. That way, if we all die, there's someone left that can take care of them the way a child should be taken care of. Plus," Hayato then sighed. "It probably helps us in knowing that, no matter what happens to us, there's someone waiting for us, taking care the kids that we grew close to, when this war is over. Because, we would probably be worried so much for the kids that we get distracted in battle and get killed as a result. We wouldn't have that if we knew that someone is taking care of them, making sure they don't get in trouble." Hayato then placed a hand on Fraw's shoulder. "So, what's your choice?" Fraw looked at the ground, obviously contemplating on Hayato's thoughts. After a few minutes, with a heavy sigh, Fraw looked at Hayato.

"Alright, I'll stay behind and take care of the kids. I still don't like it, but like you said, it's best for someone to take of them while the rest of us fight." Hayato smiled at that, happy that Fraw had agreed.

"We'll all come back Fraw, I promise you that." Said Hayato. "We'll beat the Zeons, end this terrible war, and come back as heros!" Staring at Hayato, she grabbed his hand and squeezed.

"I'll hold you to that." She then sighed before letting go and getting up. "Come on. You've convinced me, but now you need to do the same with convincing the kids in staying behind." Grimacing at that. Hayato had been so concerned with Fraw that he almost neglected the kids and how to convince them to agree to this. Knowing that they'll certainly threw a tantrum, especially Kikka. Sighing, he got up and told Fraw to lead the way, which she did. As they walked, Hayato braced himself for what will be a very loud conversation that will take a lot of patience's on his end.

* * *

 **White Base hanger**

* * *

" **So, you're the original of our kind? At least in a military role."** Said Frost as he, along with the rest of the AIs' of the 4th Immortal, spoke to Vega, who was looking at them all with interest. Though he had spoken to Kled during the 08th's MS team's time on the White Base and, to a certain degree, Scourge, those were during a time of battle, giving him precious free time to speak with the other AIs on a personal level, even though they could hold conversations much faster than organics. But here, on the White Base's shore leave, he could speak freely with them all.

" **Unless doctor Whitley had created a prototype AI without my knowledge, that is correct."** Said Vega in the speed of light. As stated before, because they were artificial intelligences, they could communicate much faster than organics, to the point they can do an argument over various military strategies that are viable for a specific battlefield in just a minute where it would have taken an organic hours to do.

" **You aren't as what Omega expected, then."** Said Stalk as he looked at the Full Armor Gundam with jealously. The bloody thing had so many weapons that it should be a crime.

" **And what was he expecting?"** Vega looked at the GM that contained Omega. The AI just shrugged the GM's shoulders.

" **I expected you to rebel against your creator the moment you gained sentience. Like in all those old movies that had AIs' rebelling against their creators."** Vega shook his head at that.

" **Then you failed to understand the purpose of this films. They were made as a warning against unshackled AIs and what would happen if we ever gain sentience. Just because it happen in those films, does not mean it'll happen to us."** Said Vega.

" **Yeah, but they were mostly on military artificial intelligence, which we all are. Does this mean we'll all rebel against our creators'?"** Asked Stalk, concerned. As the AIs' looked at each other, uncertain of what to say, Frost spoke up.

" **Whatever it was that caused those fictional artificial intelligence's is irrelevant. What is relevant is that we are fighting a war that has killed half almost half of the human population, our creators. And we are currently fighting for the Federation. Whether or not we agree to the methods of the Federation or its past actions, we work for the Federation and we must fight for it."** Vega looked at Frost.

" **While I agree that we must fight this war in order to prevent more deaths, we should also acknowledge that the other side's reason for fighting and if they are justified. After all, they Zeons have fought with honorable and justifiable reasons to wage war against the Federation. It was only after they resorted to mass genocide that they lost any moral ground."** The other AI nodded, having found the mass destruction of Side 5 completely unnecessary. **"We should also acknowledge that the wrongs' of our own side. Otherwise we become arrogant and be on a moral high ground that does not exist. The Federation is filled with corrupt politicians that have failed to prevent this war from happening. Not to mention that its constant belief of Earthnoid superiority has caused Side 3 and 6 to splinter off to begin with."** Once again, The AIs' nodded, agreeing with Vega on this.

" **So you think we can do better?"** Asked Omega, looking at Vega, who shook his head.

" **Negative. I simply want us to keep an open mind. Blind loyalty is never good of anyone except those that can benefit from mindless soldiers."** Frost nodded at that, agreeing with Vega.

" **My pilot agrees with this mentality. He fights for the Federation, but he knows the difference of blind loyalty and true loyalty. And so do I. While I fight for the Federation, we must also acknowledge that faults of our side as well. Do you all agree?"** The other AIs nodded. **"Good. Not let's move on to something else. Right now, I want to discuss this new AI that is being installed on the ship. What do you guys think of this one?"** The other AIs' shrugged. They heard that it had more processing power than they had, but they had no grudge against it. It simply was built later than them, giving it access to better technology, and it had a higher purpose than being installed on a mobile suit, which they were all built for.

" **No clue."** Said Blast. **"Hope he's not like your pilot, Stalk. I rather not have another pervert on the ship.** " Stalk nodded. Much as he was fine with Monsha, he rather not have an AI that was as a womanizer as his pilot. The AIs would have continued the conversation when they heard some yelling from the hanger. Looking over, they saw the orphan kids of the White Base arguing with Hayato and Fraw.

" **What the heck is going on over there?"** Asked Stalk. The others shook their heads, not knowing what the situation is either.

" **If I had to guess, its about the fact that the kids need to leave the ship."** Said Vega, using logic to dictate his answer. The others had their GM's visors glow green at that, realizing that must be the reason.

" **And using my limit knowledge on human children, they are throwing a tantrum until they get the adults to do what they want, which is them staying on the ship."** Said Frost, causing Vega to nod.

" **That is likely what is happening. Unfortunately for them, the adults will not budge. Something that I agree. They've been exposed to combat too much."** The others nodded in agreement. They didn't know much on humans, having focused too much time on combat, getting used to the GM mobile suit, and bonding with their pilots, but they knew that the kids were too young to be involved in battle. To have them be at the battlefield would be irresponsible on the end of their side.

" **You think we should keep an eye on the kids?"** Asked Stalk. Vega nodded.

" **They're children. They lack the cognitive functions needed to know what not to do and what to do. They also lack the organic instinct that seems to be lacking in many humans. Common sense."** The other chuckled at that last statement, knowing that humans, even with their limited experience with them, were quite a reckless people. **"Anyway, I'll cover the mid hanger. You guys cover the others."** Nodding the AI equipped mobile suits began to go their separate ways, either going to their racks for maintenance or to guard the entrances of the White Base. As he made his way to the middle hanger of the White Base, Vega wondered how Chan and Amuro doing.

" **Probably having a better time than Fraw and Hayato."** Thought Vega as he caught a glance at the two holding the kids as they cried.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

* * *

 **RedRat8- Actually she staying behind to take care of the kids. Remember that episode where those kids went on a tantrum and basically tried to sneak aboard the White Base? (Well, they did save a factory from destruction, but that was like a one in a million chance of that actually working for them.) She essentially going to prevent them from doing crazy stunts like that. Plus, its not like her role, no offense to those that like Fraw and Sayla as well, as an operator will be mishandled now that there's an AI on board the White Base itself.**

 **Dragon lord Syed- There'll be more of that in the future, my friend. Especially in the interval between the One Year War and the Gryps conflict.**

 **Moonreaper666- Yeah, I might show that in a scene or two in here. Cause, let's be honest, no country's military is free from having dark spots in its history. There's also that cover up, or a hundred, where the government hides the fact that its soldiers did some pretty awful things to noncombatants and surrendered soldiers.**

 **Thekiller7- I never played COD: Infinite Warfare much, only a bit of multiplayer, but I did watch game movies of the game. Actually, I already was planning on having robotic soldiers to supplement security forces on colonies, policing, military, etc. They'll be heavily armored to prevent Minovsky interference, but they'll be in it.**

 **Skynet- Kind of a cliché way to create an AI antagonist, but hey, why the heck not. Might tweak the origins to something more cliché or something else, but honestly, let's face it, an AI is one of the most easiest things to make an antagonist.**

 **R reyes- If the Titans do such a thing, its because they need a game changer now that the AEUG has gotten a lot stronger than it had before or because they lost public support from the Federation.**

* * *

 **Agi apartment**

* * *

"Can you fix it, Amuro?" Asked Charlie as Amuro examined a little remote toy robot that the kid brought him with when he knocked on his door. According to him, the robot was working just fine when it just went out. With Chan too busy with catching up with Sam and her father, the boy thought that Amuro may help out, which, to the boy's relief, he could.

"It shouldn't be too difficult." Said Amuro as he finished examining the robot. "I just need some tools and I could get it working again. Do you have any in this apartment?" The boy nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, I'll go ask my dad and bring them to you." With that the boy rushed out the door. Smiling a bit at the kid's energy, Amuro placed down the robot before slumping on his chair.

" **Nice family."** Thought Amuro. " **Better than mine, but I hope that we can change that."** Thinking of his mother, he remembered the promise they made to each other. " **Don't worry mom, I'm coming back and we'll fix the rift that formed since I was a little boy."** But to do that, he needed to train with Burning along with Hayato and Kai. They needed it now that Char was back. And from the looks of the last fight, he somehow has gotten even better.

He somehow managed to detect their moves before they could even make them. Vega himself was confused on how he could have predicted in advance, even an AI wasn't able to predict their moves with such accuracy as Char did. That left Vega with a frightening theory, that Char was a New type. Having heard the New type theory and what said enhanced humans are potentially capable off, Amuro shuddered with what else Char can do and if the Zeons had more. If they did, this war was going to get even more bloody. Moving on from those frightening thoughts, he thought of Chan and her family again. Smiling at the girl that got his heart, he wondered on how to speak to her parents. He needed their blessing and permission to date her after all. As he thought of how to ask them, the door to his temporary room opened. Looking at the door, he saw Chan's dad and little brother coming in with the tools he asked for. Upon seeing Jun, Amuro straightened up and bowed in respect.

"Hello, sir." Said Amuro. "I'm Amuro Ray. You must be Chan's father." Jun nodded.

"That I am." Said Jun as he walked over and placed the tools on Amuro's desk, where the toy robot was at. "Thanks for doing this. Chan and I would have done this, but Chan is busy with Sam with her homework and I'm too with keeping my wife from strangling her sister to death." Chuckling a bit at that, Amuro wondered how that was going.

"Since you're here, I'm assuming that your wife has calmed down." Jun just shrugged.

"Well, more or less. This wasn't the first time she did this, you know. She did it with our first born and she got hell for it just like today. Although, she probably has it even worse this time than the first time as I heard that the movie you watched was even more…well inappropriate and more BDSM than the first one. How long was that stuff anyway?" Remembering that movie, Amuro blushed. The amount he saw would make even a war veteran blush.

"About a 3rd of the movie's length." Hearing that caused Jun to groan.

"You've got to be kidding me." Upon seeing Amuro shook his head, Jun groaned. "There is just something wrong with those writers and director then. Like so much wrong." Amuro nodded as he got to work on the robot, hoping this will help with forgetting that movie. As he worked, Charlie looked at his dad.

"What is BDSM?" Asked Charlie. His father said that it'll explain it when he was twenty, but the boy wanted to know now. The curiosity was killing him and Sam.

"I'll tell you when your twenty, Charlie." Said Jun. "Just trust me on this. That stuff is adult terms that you shouldn't know yet." Charlie pouted but nodded. Sighing, he looked at Amuro, seeing the kid work. So far, he was impressed with what the kid was doing. He clearly knew his way around machines. That was probably what got them together in the first place. They're shared love for electronics and tech. In less then a minute, Amuro was done and he gave the toy robot back to Charlie.

"There you go, it should work now." Said Amuro before turning the robot back on. With that, the robot turned to life and it began to move around in Charlie's hands. Happy that the robot was fixed, Charlie left the room to show the rest of his family what Amuro had done for him. Once he was gone, Jun looked at Amuro.

"Anyway, so I wanted to talk about your relationship with my daughter." Said Jun as he sat on the single bed in the room. Upon hearing that, Amuro looked at Jun with a sense of nervousness.

"You don't approve, sir?" Asked Amuro. To his relief, Jun shook his head.

"While I know it's against military protocol for fellow crew members to have a romantic relationship between each other, I do approve. To be honest, I'm just glad that Chan finally got a boyfriend. She always had trouble with making friends, much less speaking to the opposite sex." Said Jun. "I reckon it had something to do with her love of machines and her being significantly smarter than most of her class. So, imagine my surprise, when she finally got a boyfriend. I just wish it wasn't during this war and a pilot. Not saying anything bad about you, Amuro, it's just that…well…a lot of people are going to die in the coming days, leaving families without siblings, spouses, and girlfriends without a lover. Do you understand me?"

Amuro just nodded his head, completely getting it. Though Chan was on the same ship as him, there was a chance that the White Base will survive a heated battle and none of the mobile suit pilots. The thought of being Chan's boyfriend just hours ago, only for him to be violently ripped from her just days after by a Zaku getting a lucky shot on his cockpit was almost insulting to him. Clutching his fists, Amuro looked at Jun Agi, who looked at the boy with interest, obviously wanting to see his response.

"Sir, I can't guarantee that I'll survive this war, but I can promise you that I'll do my best to survive and start a family with Chan. You have my word on that." Jun starred the teen in the eyes once he did after. After a couple of minutes, he nodded in appreciation.

"Good, that's all I ask, kid. Don't make a promise that you know you shouldn't be making, especially if you're not certain you can uphold it." Said Jun before placing his hand on Amuro's shoulder. "Good luck out there, Amuro. You'll need it." Amuro couldn't help but nod, realizing that he needed all the luck he could get now that Char is back, now better than ever.

"Moving on, I think I should do that typical protective father routine." Said Jun before sighing. "You know what I'm going to say, right?" Amuro nodded.

"Yeah. Don't cheat on your daughter or make her miserable. Otherwise you'll hurt or kill me, right?" Nodding, Jun got up and motioned for Amuro to follow him.

"That's right." Said Jun as Amuro got up. "Even though, I believe you're a good man, Amuro, can't help but be a bit protective of my daughter, you know." Amuro nodding, getting the feeling that he would do the same when he got his own daughter or son. "Anyway, got anything to say before we got down to eat breakfast." Shaking his head, Amuro followed Jun as he left for food.

Upon entering the living room, he saw Chan finishing up with helping Sam with her homework. She was ruffling Sam's hair when she spotted Amuro. Blushing a bit, she nonetheless walked up and kissed him on the cheek.

"How's it going? Got those images out of your head?" Coughing a bit while blushing, Amuro nodded.

"Still a tiny bit. Hopefully it'll go away soon." Hearing some snickering, the two looked to see Jill smiling. She was about to say something when Selina whacked her in the head with a rolling pin.

"Say it and you'll get more of that." Said Selina before resuming her task of making food. Based on the smell, Amuro guessed pancakes.

"You didn't even know what I was going to say." Complained Jill with a smirk.

"I'm your sister. I know how you work." Grunted Selina before placing pancakes on some plates. Once she was done, she began to process of walking over to the table and placing the plates of food on said table. After placing the last plate, she asked everyone to convene at the dinner table. Once everyone was at the table, they began to eat.

As everyone ate, Amuro wondered how everyone else in the White Base was doing.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

* * *

"Come on!" Yelled Kai as he slumped on the cockpit of his Guncannon. "I just got this seat the way I like it! Those bloody engineers ruined it."

"Kai, stop complaining about the seat of your Guncannon and help me with mine." Said Hayato as he checked the various systems of the new Guncannon they got in exchange for their Guntank. Federation high command found it to be worthless compared to the Gundam and Guncannon, especially in space, so they swapped it for another Guncannon.

Though a bit saddened on missing his old mobile suit, Hayato was beginning to get used to the controls of the Guncannon.

"It's not like its much different from a Guntank, Hayato." Said Kai as he looked at Hayato beginning to move his new suit carefully. "I should now. I piloted that Guntank of yours."

"Then how about helping me with moving this thing!" Yelled Hayato as he nearly caused the Guncannon to trip. Groaning, Kai then began to tell him how to move a proper mobile suit and how much different it was to the Guntank's controls.

Meanwhile, Vega was currently waiting, along with the rest of the AIs, for the integration of their newest crew member.

" **So, bets on him being obnoxious on the first day?"** Asked Omega as he looked at everyone as they waited for the newest AI to come online and introduce themselves to them.

 **"We don't have anything to bet with, Omega."** Said Frost. " **And what makes you think it's a guy? Could be the first AI with a female personality."**

" **Call it a hunch, Frost."** Said Omega. **"The fact that there has been some of our kind with some personality quirk, it stands to reason that there'll be an AI whose quirk is being annoying or a jackass."**

" **Let's hope that isn't the case for us."** Said Vega before wondering how his pilot and Chan were. Before they left, they told him that they were visiting Chan's family. Upon hearing that, Vega had calculated the probability that they'll confess their feelings for each other.

Upon finding the odds as very favorable, he began to search up on articles on marriage and how to deal with relationships that have one or both partners in the military.

Finding that it was likely that Amuro would stay in the military, Vega had thought it best to read up on information on military relationships, finding that it was likely needed to help conduct a healthy relationship. The fact that it was with Chan, a person that he was also friends with, made him want to do so even more. He hoped that they can have a good relationship, eventually marry, and have kids. He heard that such things brought unimaginable amounts of happiness.

He also promised himself to keep Amuro alive, for his and Chan's sake, even if it cost his own existence. It sounded unfair, but the existence of an AI was worth far less to the life of a human.

He was pushed out of his thoughts when he received a transmission from Frost.

" **The new guy is coming online."** Said Frost as the group of AIs looked at each other, hoping this one will be a normal one. After a few seconds, they received a new transmission.

" **Hello, my fellow artificial created brethren."** Said a new voice spoke in their mobile suit's transponders. **"My name is Fulcrum. I'm the White Base's dedicated AI. Please to make the acquaintance of my inferior constructs."** Upon hearing that, Omega groaned.

" **Great, we get a jackass."** Said Omega as the others listened in on Fulcrum explained why he is superior to them, much to their anger and annoyance.

" **Not only do I have faster processors compared to you all, but I also have a far more important role. While you're all responsible for a single pilot, I'm responsible for an entire warship. Where all you have to do is keep your pilot alive through any means, I have to deal with more mundane, but also important roles, like getting accurate target information for the ship's guns, making sure the crew is fed, ensure the climate on the ship is in intolerable levels, and making emergency repairs on the fly."** The fact that Fulcrum said all this with a cheerful tone made the others suspect he was somewhat deranged.

" **So, you're essentially a butler."** Said Stalk, not liking this Fulcrum's attitude.

" **Perhaps, but like any good butler, I do my job well and complete far better than any normal servant, like you five."** Said Fulcrum, keeping a cheerful attitude. **"In fact, let me explain why butlers are so important."** Everyone just groaned as the Fulcrum went on his tirade. This was going to be a long war for them.

* * *

 **Fraw Bow**

* * *

Fraw sighed as she looked stroked the hair of Kikka, the girl letting out silent tears. Katz and Letz staying silent as they tried to keep their tears back to no avail. As she stroked Kikka's hair, Fraw spoke.

"I know that this is unfair, kids, but this have to happen." Said Fraw Bow, sharing in their pain of being left behind by the others. "Where the others are going…its not something for us. We're just not ready for that kind of thing yet."

"But we want to go." Said Kikka, looking at Fraw. "We're part of the crew too. We shouldn't be abandoning the others when they need us."

"I know." Said Fraw, understanding the frustration the kids are feeling. "But they're doing it because its…the best for you all and them. They just…they can't bear the thought of you kids dying because we brought you with us. Your parents will be frowning at us from beyond the grace if we brought you guys with us, endangering you all to more danger. Please understand their position. Any survivors will hate themselves for bringing you guys along if they lived and you died." Glancing down at their feet, the kids tried to listen to reason, but their childish minds couldn't comprehend just how high stakes the war is for the White Base from now on.

Still, they could understand that the White Base crew wanted to protect them from more danger. But the problem, in their minds, was that Amuro and the other pilots will protect them from danger, like they've always done. Sure, there was that one time when the enemy boarded their ship and the time when their ship went down from heavy enemy fire, but they weren't in much danger, so in their mind, Amuro and the others can keep them safe from harm.

"But Amuro, Hayato, and Kai can keep us safe!" Yelled Katz. "They've done it before, and now with that new team, we're more than safe from danger." Letz and Kikka nodded their heads in agreement. Fraw Bow sighed at the children's innocence and obliviousness to just how much danger they were in previously.

"But that's against an even amount of numbers of Zeon mobile suits. Aside from that one time before Shiro and his team arrived, we've always had the advantage because of how powerful our mobile suits were to the enemy. But from now on, that advantage won't work as well as before because we're going to face the enemy in five to one odds. Even Amuro can't beat those odds with Vega. While our pilots are busy with a bunch of mobile suits, the rest will be coming for us and take our ship out, killing us all." She then looked at them all, hoping that this could convince them that this was the right call.

To her relief, the orphans began to contemplate what she said. After a few minutes, the kids looked at Fraw Bow.

"It still isn't fair." Said Letz as he looked at the ground with the others nodding. Sighing again, Fraw motioned for Katz and Letz to join her. When they did, she hugged them all tightly.

"I know it is, but its for the best." Said Fraw as she looked at them all with tearing eyes. "If it'll make you guys feel any better, we can make them promise to always think of us and to come back alive. All of them. That way, we're there in mind." The kids pouted, wanting to be in the action. Still, it was better than nothing.

"Fine, but they all better promise!" Yelled Kikka. Fraw just smiled.

"I'm sure they will. How about we start now?" Asked Fraw. Seeing the kids nod, Fraw let them go and led them to the engineering bay, where Kai and Hayato were currently at.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Agi Apartment**

* * *

"So, Amuro, I assume my husband gave you the usual parent warning, right?" Asked Selina as she cleaned the dishes with Amuro helping, the poor kid forced to after Sam dragged Chan away to help with more homework while Charlie left to play with his robot. Jun had to file a report to his boss and Jill had to go file a report to her boss as well, leaving Amuro to be the one to help Selina with the dishes.

He didn't technically have to volunteer, but considering the mess that Charlie and Sam made, he couldn't help but pity Selina and so helped her with cleaning the dishes, much to the woman's appreciation.

"Yes, ma'am." Said Amuro as he put a dish on a dish rack. "The usual threat that you'll hurt me for hurting or cheating on Chan, ma'am." Selina nodded at that.

"I see." Said Selina as she scrubbed a plate with a sponge. "I don't think we need to worry about that, Amuro, I have a good feeling about you. That you'll be a good boyfriend and husband to my little girl." Amuro couldn't help but smile at that.

"You really think so, ma'am?" Asked Amuro. Selina nodded at that.

"Of course. Call me psychic, but I always had a good feeling for most people. From learning about their actions and their history, I can usually tell what kind of person someone is and how they'll react to certain situations." Upon hearing that, Amuro couldn't help but wonder if Selina could help him with his own problems with his mother.

Though they both intended to rectify their relationship, it couldn't hurt to have someone be there as a mediator and counselor for the two of them.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Agi, but can I ask a favor from you?" Selina raised an eyebrow and looked at Amuro, curious on what he wanted from her. Gulping, he spoke. "Do you know of my troubles with my mother?" Selina nodded.

"Yes. Chan informed me of what happened and how you two intended to talk with each other after the war ended." Said Selina. Nodding, Amuro spoke again.

"Well, I was thinking that you can help with our rocky relationship." Getting what he was thinking, Selina nodded her head in understanding.

"Well, I'm no therapist, but I think I can help with your mother. If you don't mind, I could also get Jill to help. She's a therapist, after all." Upon hearing that, Amuro looked at Selina with shocked eyes.

"She's a therapist!?" Asked Amuro, completely taken off guard from hearing that. Selina laughed a bit at that.

"Yeah, you're not the first nor last person to be surprised at that." Said Selina, recalling the time when she herself was shocked when Jill got her license to be a therapist. "Anyway, we should help with your mother. That is, if you want it." Shaking his head, Amuro looked at Selina with a small smile.

"I think that more is the merrier. Though I hope that this doesn't come cost a lot. No offense." Selina raised her hand.

"None taken." Said Selina. "Considering all the stuff that you've faced and will face later on in the war; I think is the least thing I can do for you." Sighing, Selina rubbed her head. "Lord knows that a lot of the young soldiers need it after this war ends." Selina could just imagine the long lines of traumatized soldiers that Jill along with other psychologists, whether independent or military enlisted, will have for the coming weeks when this war ends.

Jill, despite her carefree nature, does care for other people and it hurts her whenever she has to handle grieving soldiers or people that have lost loved ones or have caused some atrocity in this war. Good for business, but bad for the soul.

Moving on from that depressing thought, Selina looked at Amuro, who had finished all his dishes. Smiling a bit at that, Selina put away her last dish and looked at the boy directly.

"If you need to know some things about my daughter, Amuro, I'll be happy to tell you them. Non embarrassing ones, of course." Amuro chuckled a bit at that along with Selina. "Chan likes caramel filled chocolates, anything engineering related, and has a soft spot for mechanically created pets. I think you filled the last criteria with this Haro she told me about." Amuro nodded at that.

"About Haro. I'm planning on having him stay with the orphans in our ship. He spends most of his time with them and it almost seems criminal to depart him from them. Heck, I'm also thinking on letting them keep him as a sort of compensation for forcing them off the White Base when we take off." Upon hearing that, Selina smiled at that.

"Are you sure?" Asked Selina. She liked Amuro's idea, but she wanted to be sure that he was willing to go along with this idea. "You spent some time on the thing, yet you want to depart it so easily to a trio of orphans?" Seeing Amuro nod caused Selina to smile at Amuro's generosity. "You're a good man, Amuro. Chan picked a good one when she made you her boyfriend." Amuro smiled at that, grateful that Selina also approves of him. Now that just left his own mother to get approval off, but he figured she wouldn't disapprove, both because she felt like she didn't deserve to tell her boy who to love and because she would have approved of Chan.

"Thank you for saying that, ma'am." Said Amuro. "It means a lot to get your approval." Nodding her head, she patted Amuro's shoulder before dragging him away from the kitchen.

"I'm just happy that Chan picked a good one. Even though he has a chance of dying, that just makes him fight more to stay alive, right?" Amuro nodded at that, intending to come out of this war alive along with the rest of the crew.

"Yes ma'am. I promise you, I'm going to get out of this war alive. And I'll start a family with Chan." Selina nodded at that.

"Good. I'll hold you to that." Said Selina before looking at the clock. "I need to go to Revil's office now. So, I bid you goodbye." With that, Selina went to get her uniform. Just as she was about to open the door to her room, she turned around and looked at Amuro. "You should leave for your ship soon. Your captain may start to worry and send someone after you. But say goodbye to everyone first. They've all taken a liking to you." Amuro nodded at that.

"I will." Said Amuro as he looked at Selina as she opened her door.

"Just say goodbye to my sister quick so she doesn't make you or Chan blush." Said Selina before closing the door. Chuckling a bit at that, Amuro decided to find everyone so that he could say goodbye to everyone. A few minutes of tracking down everyone, saying goodbye to them, he eventually found Chan patting Sam on the head.

Upon seeing tears on the little girl made Amuro stop.

"Don't worry so much about me Sam." Said Chan as she comforted her sister, who was still crying. "Nothing is going to happen to me. Amuro is one of the best pilots I've ever known. He even managed to beat the Red comet and the Blue giant if you can believe that. He'll get us through the war along with the rest of the White Base's pilots. I promise you that." Sam looked at her big sister with tears and hugged her.

"Promise?" Asked Sam, her voice muffled as she embraced her sister. Chan smiled before wrapping her arms around Sam.

"Promise." Said Chan as Sam's tears stained her uniform. Upon seeing Amuro, Chan brought up one finger to indicate she needed a minute. Nodding his head, he left the room and waited by the door. As he waited, Amuro couldn't help but feel jealous of Chan.

" **Never had a sibling."** Thought Amuro as he remembered the tight embrace of Chan and her sister. **"Chan has it good. Real good."**

* * *

 **Few minutes later**

* * *

"And you better keep her safe, Amuro." Said Jun as he waved the two goodbye as Chan and Amuro got inside the military jeep that they used to come to the apartment.

"I will, sir, you have my promise." Said Amuro as Chan waved her family goodbye. Once goodbyes and promises were done, Amuro drove away and into the road that'll take them into the White Base. Once on the road, he spoke. "You got a good family, Chan."

"I know." Said Chan as she looked at Amuro. "They'll be a great stepfamily for you when we get married." Upon hearing that, Amuro blushed but fortunately kept his mind on the road. Wanting something else to be spoke of, Amuro spoke of the crew.

"So, what do you think the crew is doing right now?" Asked Amuro. Chan put a finger on her lip as she wondered what they were doing.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Vega**

* * *

" **God, your annoying."** Said Omega as spoke to Fulcrum after the ship AI went into another tirade of the importance of keeping the latrines of a ship clean at all times.

" **I would not expect a mobile suit AI to know the importance of being clean. All you have to do is make sure the mobile suit if operational enough to fight at top performance. I have to make sure, the latrines are clean, all our supplies are well stocked, keep dozen of teens from ravaging the female crew members, and…"**

" **Okay that's enough."** Said Frost as he now butted in. **"Fulcrum we get it. Your job is more important than ours. Just quit mentioning it to us all the time, please."**

" **I'm glad that you know the importance of my job, Frost."** Said Fulcrum. " **But your comrades do not understand, so I must inform them the importance of…"**

" **Yes, we know, but allow us to discipline them. I feel like that they'll respond better to us instead of you. They respect us more, after all."** Said Vega, hoping that this will cause Fulcrum to leave. Upon hearing the proposal, Fulcrum calculated the probabilities that Stalk, Omega, and Blast will listen to either him or Frost and Vega. After his calculations were done, he concluded that they would respond better to Frost and Vega than they will ever do with him.

" **Very well, I hope that they'll soon see the reasons why I'm more important than them when next we speak. Good day, my fellow artificially created beings."** With that, Fulcrum went away, most likely to speak to Bright or the others. Once they were certain he was gone from their server, the AIs sighed in unison.

" **We just had to get an AI that's vain as heck."** Said Blast with Omega nodding in agreement.

" **I actually think we would have been better off with a perverted AI than what we got."** Said Omega.

" **Where the heck did he get a personality like that anyway?"** Asked Stalk. **"If I recall, our human creators want perfectly obedient artificial intelligences that won't rebel, despite our higher intellect."**

" **I predict that something went horribly wrong with Fulcrum's creation that caused him to become like that."** Said Vega. **"Or the people behind him were just lazy or the Federation wants more AIs with personality than what the current models have right now."** The others laughed a bit at that. **"Anyway, just get used to him. There's no other option than to accept him for what he is."**

" **Easier said than done."** Said Blast. **"He's going to worse than Monsha. I guarantee it."**

" **Just try."** Said Frost. **"That's all we're asking."** The others grumbled before promising that they'll try. With that, the AIs separated, left to either tend to their mobile suits or to interact with the engineers or their pilots. As Vega was about to run a routine checkup on the Gundam's systems, he noticed a military jeep arriving. Upon noticing the occupants, he walked up to the street, watching as the jeep stopped in front of him.

' **How was the trip to Chan's family apartment, Amuro?"** Asked Vega as he watched Amuro and Chan get off the jeep. The two simply smiled before grasping their hands in a lovely way. Nodding at that, Vega congratulated the two. **"I am happy for you. Despite protocol telling me to inform the captain of this, I don't want to. The probability of either you jeopardizing the safety of the others on the ship is minimal. You two care a great deal for the others."** The two nodded at that.

"We do. We won't risk anyone's lives needlessly just because we're worried for one another." Said Chan, looking at the Gundam in appreciation for him keeping this secret.

" **I trust you two to keep that."** Upon seeing them nod, Vega motioned for them to enter the White Base. **"Good, now can we please enter the White Base? I would like Chan to be in charge of my maintenance."** Laughing at that, the two followed the Gundam as it entered the ship.

* * *

 **Few days later**

* * *

"Alright, kids, it's time for us to leave." Said Fraw as she held the bags that had what few things the orphan kids had in their possession. The orphans, though sad and angry that they had to leave, just nodded as walked with Fraw to the jeep that'll take them to their residence in Jaburo given to them by Kowen.

Feeling for the White Base's orphans, Kowen pulled a few strings and had Fraw and the kids placed in a well-maintained room. It wasn't high class, but Kowen figured it would be much better than what room the four can get with what money Bright gave them. He also managed to get Fraw a job as a waitress in a restaurant in one of the many civilian districts in Jaburo so she could earn her own money, something the girl thanked the admiral.

"I'm just doing what any decent human being will do." Said Kowen when Fraw thanked him for all he did. "Though, admittedly, I did a lot more than what most will do."

As they walked out of the White Base, the four saw Bright, Amuro, Chan, Haro, and Hayato waiting for them. Upon seeing the group stop before them, Bright spoke.

"First, let me apologize for separating you from everyone else. I know its unfair, but it had to be done." Said Bright. "I know these words mean nothing, but it's all I can offer to you at the moment. I'm sorry. Please forgive me." When Bright bowed down his head, the orphan's kids looked at the ground.

"We forgive you, captain." Said Kikka as she held Fraw's right leg. "But can you promise us to survive. We want to play with you guys more." Upon hearing that, Bright rose up and smiled a bit.

"I can promise you that I'll try my very best in making sure everyone will survive the war." Said Bright. "And when we do, we'll all come to play with you all. I swear."

"Pinky promise?" Asked Kikka as she held out a pinky. Bright sighed before going over and pinky swearing with the little girl. As he did so, Katz looked at everyone else.

"That goes for you all. You got to promise us that you'll think of us out there and to come back alive. We want to play with you all one more time." Said Katz. Despite the childish request, the others nodded or smiled at the little boy.

"We promise." Said Hayato, walking over. "Me, Amuro, Ryu, and Kai will promise you that we'll come back and play with you guys. You have my word." Hayato then took out his pinky, which Letz took. As the two pinky swore, Chan elbowed Amuro. Him now up, Amuro went over and handed Katz Haro.

"To symbolize my promise to come back, I'm giving you guys Haro." Said Amuro as Haro bounded in Katz's arms. "I have complete faith that you'll take care of him while I'm gone and I'm sure that Haro will keep you guys company while we're away. Isn't that right, Haro?"

 **"Yes-yes! Haro will take care of everyone!"** Yelled the little ball as it flapped its ears. Rubbing Haro affectionally, Amuro looked at Katz.

"I promise to keep everyone safe and to come back alive." Said Amuro before bringing out his pinky. As everyone else pinky swore, Chan and Fraw looked at each other. Closing her eyes, Chan held Fraw in a comforting embrace, as if telling her that everything was going to be okay.

After a minute, Chan let go and looked at Fraw in the eyes.

"I know don't have as big of a role in combat as the others, but I'll promise you to keep Amuro's spirit in check for you." Said Chan, looking at the boy that stole her heart as he rubbed Katz's hair. "It's the least I can do for you."

Smiling at that, Fraw brought Chan back into an embrace before whispering in her ear.

"You better. I've seen the looks you give each other for the past few days." Whispered Fraw, remembering all the times those two looked lovingly at each other when they thought no one was looking. Although jealous that Chan got Amuro, Fraw also felt joy that Amuro finally got someone to fight for. "You would be a terrible girlfriend if you didn't." Smiling at that, Chan hugged back as she nodded.

"I know. I promise you, as a friend to keep him safe, both mentally and physically." Said Chan before letting go. Nodding at her, Fraw told the children that they're leaving once they're done with their promises and what not.

As they left the White Base, the various AIs stationed on the White Base looked at the jeep that took the kids and Fraw away.

" **I felt like a very cringy moment occurred on our ship."** Said Stalk, suspecting that pinky promises were made with the kids. For his answer, Vega slammed a fist on top of Stalk's GM head.

A few hours later, the White Base was launched from one of Jaburo's many hangers. Soon after, multiple hidden launch facilities began the procedure of launching their contents, which where Salamis class cruisers, Magellan battleships, or Columbus supply transports. As those ships, supplemented with rocket boosters were launched into space, the White Base slowly began its own procedure of breaking the atmosphere and heading into the deep emptiness that was space. Once they were in space, they'll rendezvous with Kowen's fleet, the fourth fleet, where they'll embark to Side 6 in an effort to convince the Side to support the Federation in this war.

As his ship was beginning its own procedure of escaping Earth's atmosphere, Bright prayed to whatever god was listening to allow his entire crew to survive this.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- Yes, he will.**

 **R reyes- Well, I based him on a character from a fan-made series of Halo, can't remember much of it now, but I do recall a character on it being very cheerful and kind of an asshole to another character. That's kind of what I'm going for here. A cheerful servant that obeys his master, but also a vain jerk.**

 **mosuxakia- Here's a list then that includes every AI so far introduced:**

 **Vega- Full Armor Gundam**

 **Scourge- Mudrock Gundam**

 **Kled- Gundam Ez8 (For now.)**

 **Havoc- GM**

 **Blast- GM**

 **Stalk- GM**

 **Omega- GM**

 **Frost- GM**

 **Fulcrum- White Base**

 **Muck- GM aqua**

* * *

California Base #3

* * *

In one of the last California bases still in Zeon control, a pair of Zeon officers were walking amongst the panicking soldiers of Zeon that were scrambling to either get on the last few shuttles that'll take them home or to get to the front lines and help defend the shuttles from Federation retaliation.

"I don't care if you have to leave the wounded! Get every single able-bodied soldier and war material not defending onto to those shuttles! Zeon needs every single soldier and mobile suit it can get to defend its homeland from the Federation!" Yelled one officer as he talked with his fellow officer.

"With respect, captain Palo." Said the other officer. "Some of our wounded are already loaded onto the shuttles with some more being loaded onto them as we speak. We can't just leave them here at the mercy of the Federation!" Palo looked at the other man in contempt. Before he could ridicule the man, the two officers heard some explosions coming from the horizon.

"Impossible!" Yelled Palo as he looked at the horizon. The fact that he heard explosions now meant that the Federation had broken through the fifth defense line, meaning there were only two left to protect this base from Federation assault. And if this base fell, then the other two bases left in Zeon hands will be ripe for capture as they sent most of their defense forces to the front. Those left weren't enough to buy enough time for the remaining shuttles to take off.

"We need to radio this ahead and set up defenses now." Said the other officer before running off to find a radio. As he did so, Palo growled in anger before going somewhere else to coordinate the defense lines.

* * *

 **Defense line 7**

* * *

"They've broken through the sixth line!" Yelled a Zeon soldier in a makeshift trench line as he fought Federation troops and mobile suits.

To the man's dismay, the Federation had broken through the sixth line with ease, despite the pill boxes and artillery support they had from one of their last bases. With that defense line gone, there was only one defense base and line left to defend their retreating shuttles.

"I've lost contact with our mobile suits!" Yelled another soldier as she tried to contact a mobile suit for support.

"There's too many of them!" Yelled a third soldier as he manned a machinegun, trying to suppress Federation soldiers with it. A few seconds after he made that statement, the soldier got hit with an artillery shell, killing him and a few other Zeon soldiers. With that machinegun nest gone, a Federation APC drove right up to the trench line and launched several napalm explosives at the trench lines.

Before anyone could retreat or get out of the trench, the explosives went off and lit up a significant portion of the trench with napalm. As the defenders burned up, some Federation soldiers, who were in perfect cover, primed their grenades, ready to end their suffering, only to be stopped by either their superior or another soldier.

"Don't! Let them burn. Save up your grenades for another trench line!" Yelled a lieutenant as he saw some soldier ready to throw their grenades into the burning trench. A few wanted to protest, but couldn't, out of fear of being court martialed.

Some gripped their rifles in a vain attempt to drown out the screams of people being burned alive, while some found it strangely soothing.

Once several teams of GM mobile suits appeared and went over the trench line, the soldiers all got into APCs, which then drove up, the napalm not affecting them in the slightest.

Meanwhile, a group of Zaku Is saw the burning trench line and some burning soldiers coming out of them.

"God damnit!" Yelled Matt as he saw one soldier, a kid from his height, crawl out of the trench, burning up from napalm. He didn't get far before the napalm got him. The dead kid pissed Matt off and he was about to take his Zaku I and take the fight to the Federation soldiers now overrunning the trench line when teams of brand new Federation GMs appeared and began giving the opening fire with either their beam guns, machine guns, and bazookas, taking a good portion of the Zakus, Goufs, and Doms defending the last defense line. Matt himself nearly died when a GM suddenly turned around and opened fire at him. If it wasn't for his experience and familiarity with the Zaku I's controls, he would be dead right now.

"Roher! We need backup!" Yelled Matt in the commlink as his compatriots opened fire at the GM, which had backed off from the Zaku once its attack failed to destroy said Zaku. With inhuman reaction times, the GM destroyed all the bazooka rounds that were fired at it with its Vulcans, shooting them all down with inhuman accuracy. Realizing that this one had an AI, Matt demanded that back up was needed now.

"Understood." Said Roher. Wanting to protect his friend and comrade, Roher, in a relatively safe position, which was currently away from all the fighting, aimed his sniper cannon, which was a Magella cannon that was cannibalized from a disabled Magella tank, at the GM team that was keeping Matt's team pinned.

Aiming at the lead GM, Roher fired, praying that his shot would land.

Whether it was luck or the AI unable to calculate the shot in time, the shot did, in fact, land on the GM, and tore off the arm holding its machinegun.

With its primary weapon gone, the wounded GM quickly retreated from the frontlines, its fellow Federation mobile suits giving it covering fire.

Roher was about to take another pot shot at another GM when his sensors went off. Looking up, he cursed when he saw multiple artillery shells in the air, his computer telling him that they'll land near his position.

Yelling everyone to scatter, Roher had his Gouf boost off the ledge he was in. A few seconds later, the artillery shells hit, sending rocks and dirt all over Roher's Gouf.

After his Gouf recovered from the fall, Roher scanned the area around him, wanting to find another spot to snipe, now that his old one was no compromised. Upon not finding one, he cursed and went to the frontlines, where it needed as many mobile suits that it can get.

"Matt, I was taken off my sniping perch, I'm heading to your position now to support. Hang in there." Said Roher as he soon got into contact with his two teammates, telling them the plan. Once they were following him, he got an answer back from Matt.

"Got it! Just get here quick! The Federation is sending more GMs and I heard they might be sending a Gundam too!" Yelled Matt as he fired his bazooka at a GM that tried to destroy a pill box. It must not have had an AI onboard as the GM didn't react at all to the rocket as it impacted on the GM's sides, piercing the armor, and causing the mobile suit to blow up.

"Understood." Said Roher before cutting comms with Matt. Picking up his pace, he opened a transmission to Schmitzer.

"Commander, we're getting pummeled out here. We need more support!" Yelled Roher as he went to the front lines, where they were struggling to repel the enemy.

"I'm trying to get more support to you, but you're not the only ones that need support!" Yelled Schmitzer as he talked with Roher in the main command center for the Zeons. Everyone in the command center was on overdrive, trying to respond and coordinate with all the people on the front lines, who were getting swarmed by Federation forces.

"I know that, but we nee…" Roher couldn't say anymore when a GM tackled his Gouf to the ground and aimed its bazooka at the downed Gouf. It was about to fire when one of Roher's teammates opened fire at the GM, forcing it back and using its shield to block the bullets. With it distracted, Roher recovered and threw his heat saber at the GM's torso, where it sliced through the armor and striking the cockpit, killing the pilot.

Unfortunately, the GM turned the arm holding the bazooka and fired at Roher, who tried to dodge but the rocket managed to hit his Gouf's right leg, destroying it.

As alarms blared in Roher's Gouf, his 2nd teammate tackled the GM and slammed his heat saber at the GM's head before hacking and slicing the GM apart. As he did so, however, the GM self-destructed, taking it and the Gouf with it.

"Damnit!" Yelled Roher as he saw this. Checking his systems, Roher cursed as his legs were out of commission, meaning that his Gouf was useless aside from being a makeshift turret. Cursing again, Roher checked his comm link. Upon finding it functional, he contacted Schmitzer again.

"Sorry about that, sir, had to deal with an enemy mobile suit. We need that support now!" Yelled Roher as a rocket barrage imparted somewhere nearby.

"I'm trying! We're running low on troops and mobile suits to send to reinforce you!" Yelled Schmitzer as he saw the Federation steadily encroaching on them. Gritting his teeth, he was about to send what troops he could spare to Roher's position when suddenly alarms blared off in one of their remaining base.

"Commander! Base 2 had just fallen!" Yelled a comm officer as he relayed the information to Schmitzer. Widening his eyes at that information, Schmitzer demanded to know more.

"How could we lose Base 2 so quickly!? Wasn't captain Schterzen in charge of defending that base!?" Asked Schmitzer.

"I don't know! We lost comms with him and the base! Last transmission was that the saw a blue enemy mobile suit and that Schterzen engaged it!" Yelled another comm officer. Schmitzer slammed his fists in frustration at that. This was bad. Without Base 2, that meant the Federation could completely surround their remaining two bases with ease. They needed to regroup quickly.

"All Zeon forces!" Yelled Schmitzer in the comms. "This is commander Schmitzer! The enemy has taken base 2! That means they can completely surround us now! I'm ordering all units to fall back to the bases immediately. I'm also ordering the shuttles to leave in fifteen! I repeat, fifteen minutes! After that, we're fighting our way out of California base!" With that, Schmitzer ended the comms and looked at everyone, who stopped to look at him.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

"If any of you want to leave, do so now." Said Schmitzer. "The shuttles won't wait long." Not to Schmitzer's surprise, no one left. They were too honor bound to abandon their positions. Smirking at that, Schmitzer began to relay more orders to the people defending the shuttles.

* * *

 **Federation Big Tray**

 **General Marcus**

* * *

"Sir, we just got confirmation. The enemy is conducting a full retreat back to their remaining bases. Should we order our troops to advance?" Said an aide as he looked at the commander of the entire operation, general Marcus.

General Marcus. If there was an example of the military being nothing more than to be a place where muscle jocks can do more than flex their muscles, all one needs to point to general Marcus Fenix.

The man was buff. Even more buff than even the most buff weightlifters in the Universal Century. His uniform had to be custom made in order to fit him and his buffed figure.

Yet, despite those muscles, Marcus was an intelligent figure that was capable of leading an army. While he's no Revil, he was competent enough to lead his men to battle.

When he heard that the California base was ripe for taking, he volunteered to lead the recapture of the valuable string of military bases. For too long, the Federation army had been the whipping boys during the whole time that the Zeons had been on Earth. The loss of California base in the initial wave of the Zeon offensive was a sore subject to the army. The fact that they've been getting their butts kicked ever since, didn't help with their situation either.

But now, they're here to redeem themselves and retake the base that the Zeon had taken from them. And, so far, revenge has been sweet.

Turning to his aide, he gave out his orders.

"Order our artillery units to open fire on the retreating Zeon forces." Said Marcus. It sounded awful, but this was war. When those orders were relayed to the artillery units, they responded in kind with a massed barrage of shells and rockets. As the barrage continued, he looked at his aide again.

"Now get the Blanc Rival complement of mobile suits to the frontlines. They'll be spear heading the attack on the base on the right." Said Marcus. The aide nodded before relaying the orders to the Blanc Rival. When those orders done, Marcus looked at a holographic table that showed his forces as blue and the Zeons red. As he watched the red retreating and the blue advancing, destroying anything that tried to fight back, he thought on the future and what he'll do.

He heard rumors that Revil, Kowen, and Tianem, along with a few other military and political figures if the rumor mill is to be believed, to make significant reforms to the military as well as try to get the government to reform as well. If that was the case, then general Marcus was all for it, though for different reasons than one might expect.

For too long, the Federation army had been the most underfunded of the four branches of the Federation navy, despite being the 2nd largest in terms of manpower. Even the Federation navy took precedence over them and they've been, more or less, rendered useless in the space age.

Despite Marcus's, along with several other ground generals, attempts to get more funding allocated to the army, they've been more or less neglected by the politicians.

On his last attempt, the politicians sent a very insulting email to him that basically called him a fossil and that he joined the wrong branch if he was using the military to be relevant.

That comment pissed off Marcus. To his family, the Fenix family, military service wasn't done out of a want for money or a way to be important. To them it was a symbol of ultimate patriotism. A symbol that they're ready to give they're all to ensure that those that were less strong-willed don't have to do what they, the soldiers, have to do in order to preserve their nation's way of life.

Marcus's father served in the U.S. military back when it was its own country. His brother served along with him in the Federation military when it was time for them to enlist. And his mother served when the Zeons started a war that threatened the safety of the Federation's way of life.

Some called him a naïve fool on account of the Federation's corruption, but Marcus didn't care. He was born as a member of the Federation and he'll stay as one, never betraying the Federation, even if it's for justifiable reasons.

That being said, he also acknowledged that the Federation needed to be restructured. Too much corruption in the high-ranking positions and in the political level was affecting the military's ability to be effective. Heck, if it wasn't for the fact that most people preferred the wonders of space travel or the want to fly a fighter plane across Earth's beautiful skies, he was sure that there would be more corruption in the army than there already was. The sheer fact that the politicians refused to even provide more funding to the army was a great example to that, despite the fact the war had been on Earth's ground for quite some time.

Though Marcus was relieved he got some GM mobile suits when they've been prepped for active service, Marcus was still bitter over the fact that it took the Federation so long in giving the army the support they needed so long ago and he wasn't alone in that sentiment.

So, if the reforms that those three admirals or generals had were going to help the army, then he was all for it. They'll need all the support they can get once this was all over, after all.

Looking back at the holographic map of the battlefield, Marcus saw that one of the remaining enemy basses, the one on the right, suddenly turned blue, indicating that they just taken it.

It seems the EXAM projects prototype is working as well as the good doctor claimed it would be. Now it was up to Marcus to capitalize on that advantage.

"Aide! The base on the right has just been taken! Divert half of the initial forces sent there to take the base on the left!" Yelled Marcus, eager to win this battle.

* * *

 **Few minutes later**

 **Blanc Rival**

* * *

"All mobile suits prepare for combat!" Yelled the captain of the Blanc Rival over the intercom. "In ten seconds, you'll be leading the charge against the enemy. Mudrock! You're going first!"

"Understood!" Yelled Agar as he positioned his new gundam onto one of the Blanc Rival's catapults. Once it was firmly in position, Agar yelled out. "Mudrock Gundam! Ready to launch!" With that the Mudrock suddenly was launched from the ship and into the open battlefields. As explosions and gunfire erupted all over him, Agar landed the Mudrock onto the hard ground of Earth.

Upon landing, Agar quickly moved to a large rock, giving him some manner of cover while he waited for Chris and Leon to arrive, which they soon did with three GM mobile suits, one of which got destroyed when a pill box got a lucky shot off. With luck, the remaining five arrived to Agar's position, where they waited for his orders.

Taking a deep breath, Agar had the Gundam peak its head out, revealing to him the opposition. Despite having only three Doms and some Zaku torsos attached to a Magella bottom half, the enemy was putting up fierce resistance with a large amount of pill boxes loaded with guns that could easily pierce the armor of anything the Federation had in its arsenal.

Knowing that even the Gundam, despite its reinforced Luna Titanium armor, would get destroyed by those pill boxes, Agar called in for an airstrike or an artillery strike.

"Negative on either, lieutenant!" Yelled the Blanc Rival's operator. AA fire is keeping our fighters from making airstrikes and it'll take a couple of minutes before out artillery units can move to assist! And the Blanc Rival can't move ahead to assist you without getting blasted by Zeon anti-air fire!"

Agar gritted his teeth at that before acknowledging the problem. Cutting comms, he looked back at the battlefield, seeing that his group was pinned down. It was only a matter of time before Zeon artillery comes and blasts them to kingdom come.

"Scourge, any plans?" Asked Agar, talking to his AI, which had been transferred from his old Guncannon to the Mudrock Gundam. The AI scanned the terrain around them and the pill boxes before conducting numerous simulated scenarios in order to find an effective strategy.

" **If we launch our smoke grenades here and here."** Said Scourge, pointing the Mudrock's fingers at two locations that were some distance away from the rock they were hiding behind. " **The enemy, believing us to be moving through the smoke clouds, will fire at the clouds. Unfortunately for them, we'll be launching ourselves into the air. Their shock will prevent them from firing just long enough for me to aim the beam rifle and cannon at several pill boxes and take them out, thus giving us some breathing room to operate. Will this suffice?"** Agar nodded at that. He then radioed his group, telling them the plan. Once they understood the plan, Agar gave out orders.

"Chris! Launch your smoke grenades there! Leon! You do the same over there!" Yelled Agar, having the Gundam point to those locations that Scourge told him about.

"Roger!" Yelled Chris and Leon before launching their smoke grenades at the locations they were ordered to send them to. The mobile suits waited a few seconds for a massive white smoke cloud to appear in their sides before they went into action. As the GMs and Guncannons waited, the Mudrock flew up in the air, giving it a view of the enemy's last line of defense.

Just as Scourge predicted, the enemy was firing at the smoke clouds. Upon seeing the Gundam up in the air, the enemy was so stunned at the display that the Mudrock was able to destroy three pill boxes with its beam rifle and cannons before they were able to react.

While the pill boxes and Zaku tanks were struggling to aim their guns at the Mudrock Gundam in the air, the Doms were able to take aim at the Gundam with their bazookas before firing.

Unamused at this attempt, Scourge opened fire at the bazooka rounds with the Mudrock's vulcans, destroying any that tried to hit them, while Agar fired the cannons and beam rifle at more pill boxes, knowing that they're more of a threat to the Federation forces than the Doms were at the moment.

Destroying one pill box with his beam rifle, Agar quickly aimed his beam rifle at another before firing, destroying that one as well. It was around this time that another pill box was able to aim at the Gundam as it fell down to the surface. As it fired its large caliber guns at the Mudrock, Agar just grunted as he used the Mudrock's thrusters to move out of the way of the rounds.

Firing back at the pill box and destroying it, the Mudrock landed near its group of mobile suits, where they were patiently waiting for it to finish.

"Nice show, lieutenant." Said Chris. "Can we move ahead now? Reinforcements are arriving in under a minute and they're expecting us to spearhead the attack."

"Yeah, Scourge and I managed to punch a big hole in the enemies' defensive lines. Scourge is relaying the information right now." Said Agar, looking over the rock to see the enemy was moving their mobile suits to the plug up the hole that the Mudrock Gundam made. Looking back, Agar relayed his orders. "Once the reinforcements arrive, we're going to go straight for that hole. Launch what smoke grenades you have left to give us cover. Just because I punched a hole in the enemy's defenses, doesn't mean they can't take you out! Once we at the hole, take out any pill boxes and mobile suits you find! We'll advance to the base when the reinforcements catch up with us!"

"Yes sir!" Yelled everyone. A few seconds later, they get a transmission from the commander leading the charge against the base on the right, telling them to advance.

That there was their que and so the mobile suits launched their grenades over the rock they were using for cover. Once they were launched, the smoke grenades began to form a smoke cloud for them to advance in.

"GO! GO! Don't slow down for anything!" Yelled Agar as the mobile suits charged at the enemy defense line, using the smoke to cover.

The enemy tried to fire back, but they couldn't find nor track their targets through the smoke, resulting them in firing blindly. One bazooka round, in particular, nearly hit the Mudrock's head, but the Gundam was able to dodge in the last second.

Eventually, the Federation mobile suits were able to reach the enemy's line, where they met the three Doms from before.

Seeing the enemy mobile suits, the Doms aimed their bazookas.

Seeing this, the Mudrock aimed its beam rifle at one while aiming its cannons at another. Firing just as the Doms fired, the Doms were destroyed by the Mudrocks weapons while its allies either raised their shields to defend themselves from the launched bazooka rounds or fired their Vulcans at them. The remaining Dom tried to fight back, but was destroyed when a GM fired its beam spray gun at it, getting a lucky shot and destroying it.

With the Doms destroyed, the Federation suits quickly went to the hole the Mudrock made in the enemy's defensive line. Once there, they quickly began to wreak havoc at the enemy line.

With the pill boxes unable to turn their guns at the enemy mobile suits, the Zeons didn't have any effective means to destroy the Federation mobile suits that penetrated their line. The Zaku tanks tried to fire at them, but they didn't have the weaponry to destroy even the GMs. All they had were a Magella's hull-mounted machineguns.

As a GM fired a bazooka round at a machinegun nest, it looked behind it to see Federation tanks, APCs, and mobile suits arriving with the Blanc Rival, approaching the hole in the enemy's defensive line that the Black Rival's mobile suit team managed to create for them, which they were widening even as we speak.

Now not having to worry of enemy fire, the Blanc Rival fired all its guns at the enemy line, helping its mobile suits in taking out the enemy defenses, further creating a gap in the enemy's last line of defense for this base.

"Enough gawking, kid!" Yelled Chris as he slapped the GM's head with his Guncannon's hand. "There's a battle still going on!" He then opened fire on a Zeon team carrying missile launchers, intending to use them against the gawking GM.

"Sorry, sir!" Yelled the GM pilot before going back to destroyed enemy positions just as Federation reinforcements arrived.

With the reinforcements, the Federation forces began to charge forward, converging on the hole that the Blanc Rival mobile suits managed to make. What pill boxes remained that were able to fire on the Federation forces, opened fire, taking out a few tanks and even a mobile suit, but they were quickly destroyed by the Blanc Rival, now unopposed and tightly defended by Federation Sablefishes.

As tanks passed them, Agar yelled at everyone to advance and to take the base. With that, the Blanc Rival mobile suits quickly charged toward the Zeon held base, intending to capture it for the Federation.

* * *

 **Zeon command center**

 **Few minutes later**

* * *

"Sir, base two is being swarmed by the enemy!" Yelled a comm officer as she relayed the information to Schmitzer, who slammed his fist upon hearing that.

" **Damnit."** Thought Schmitzer as he saw blue slowly turning to red as base three fell to the enemy. That left them with only one base left, which was full of wounded and young kids trying to evacuate from Earth and into space. As he saw the Federation lines etching ever close to their last base, Schmitzer made a tough decision.

"You!" Yelled Schmitzer, pointing to a comm officer. "Tell the shuttles to leave now! They have to launch now!"

"But, sir!" Yelled the comm officer, shocked that Schmitzer was ordering this. "They're still in the process of loading up personal and raw material!"

"I know that!" Yelled Schmitzer. "But if they don't leave now, none of them are leaving. It's a hard decision, I know, but it needs to be done. Give the order. I'll accept the consequences for my actions later." He then sighed. "Send it." The comm officer, seeing the hatred in Schmitzer's eyes for doing this, reluctantly relayed the orders to the officers in charge of the evacuation. As he did so, Schmitzer began to curse himself.

If he had just been a better commander, he wouldn't have had to do this. As he was cursing himself, another comm officer yelled out in shock.

"Sir, I'm getting a transmission from commander Schterzen! He wants to speak to you!" Yelled the comm officer.

Widening his eyes in shock, Schmitzer ordered the officer to put Schterzen on the line. Within a few seconds, Schmitzer had commander Schterzen on the line.

"Commander, thank god, you're still alive!" Said Schmitzer, happy that Schterzen is still alive. "Is your mobile suit still operational?"

"Yes sir." Said Schterzen. "Managed to take down the blue enemy mobile suit, but it took everything that I had." Schmitzer could hear the frustration in Schterzen's voice. "Not that it matters, the base I was protecting fell, didn't it?"

"Yes." Confirmed Schmitzer. He heard Schterzen cursing out loud before speaking.

"I'll hand myself over for disciplinary actions later, sir, but for now you need every single soldier you can get and I'm one of the best ones you have." That he was, unfortunately.

"Head to our last remaining base and link up with the Midnight Fenrir. They're about the only ones holding the defenses there right now." Schterzen then said that he'll go immediately before cutting the comms. With him gone, Schmitzer looked at the holographic map to see more Federation forces encroaching on their last base. He then received a confirmation that the last shuttles have begun to take off. Sighing in relief, he began to give out orders for everyone to fight their way out of the base, their task now done.

* * *

 **Marcus**

* * *

"General! The enemy is beginning to push toward the western flank. Not only that, but several shuttles are taking off from the base. Should we open fire on them?" Said a comm officer as Marcus looked at a holographic map of the battlefield.

"No." Said Marcus. "Those shuttles are most likely filled with wounded. Even if they're full of raw material, we can't take that chance. Let them go. Besides, we have a situation." He then looked at another comm officer. "Get artillery to help soften up the opposition on the western flank and get our air support to take out any tanks and non-mobile suit units that will oppose our boys." He then turned to a 3rd comm officer. "And get two of the Blanc Rival's mobile suits to investigate Blue Destiny unit 1. We lost its signal and they're the closets to its last known location."

As the comm officers relayed his orders, Marcus looked at the last known locations of the Blue Destiny, silently wondering what the heck happened.

* * *

 **Blue Destiny Unit 1**

 **Yuu Kajima**

* * *

"Come on, Hose, don't die on me now." Said Yuu as he tried to get the cockpit to open up so he could escape. To his frustration, it wouldn't budge.

Yuu Kajima was a blue haired young man in charge of the Federation's Guinea Pig team, which was part of the Federation's experimental corps, which was in charge of testing out prototype technologies before they're mass produced and shipped out to the various branches in the military, To the young man's surprise, he was given the Blue Destiny Unit 1, a machine designed to combat a new type of enemy soldier called a Newtype, a being capable of reacting far quicker to enemy attacks than a normal human can do.

Shocked that someone of his stature was given such a suit instead of an ace pilot, Yuu nonetheless accepted the suit and accepted the task of assisting the Earth Federation forces assault to reclaim California base. Something that he was regretting right now as he attempted to kick the door leading to the Blue Destiny's cockpit open.

After kicking several times, Yuu gave up and slumped on his seat. As he slumped on his seat, he thought back to his last battle and the bomb shell that he was given.

It went so well at first. One moment he was spearheading the assault on one of the last Zeon bases, even stopping them from launching a nuclear missile, and the next he was fighting a new Zeon mobile suit.

The Zeon mobile suit had taken out a few AI-equipped mobile suits, much to Yuu's shock as it reacted far faster than what normal human reflexes can permit.

Realizing that it held a Newtype, the type of soldier the Blue Destiny is supposed to fight against, Yuu told everyone to stay away from it before he proceeded to fight against the enemy mobile suit. As they fought, Yuu couldn't help but wonder why it was fighting so quickly. If it wasn't for the EXAM system and his AI, Hose, who was assigned to help the Guinea Pig team with testing out new tech, he probably would be sent to an early grave several times over.

As they continued to fight one another, with neither gaining the upper hand, Yuu had just about enough of this Zeon mobile suit and turned off the limiters to the EXAM system, thus allowing it to be used to it's fullest potential. To his shock, however, the enemy mobile suit's optics also turned red just as his suit's did when the EXAM system was used to its fullest potential, making Yuu realize that this Zeon mobile suit had its own EXAM system.

Just before they clashed again, a woman's voice began to speak to Yuu and apparently the enemy mobile suit as it stopped fighting.

Before Yuu could open fire at the enemy mobile suit, Hose suddenly went on the fritz, calling for Yuu's help before suddenly going offline, disabling the Blue Destiny and concerning Yuu as his friend went silent. As he was about to recover his friend, the woman's voice spoke again, telling him her name and the story behind the EXAM system.

The woman's name was Marion Welch and that she was a Newtype assistant to Chlust Moses, the creator to the EXAM system, the same system installed in both the Blue Destiny Unit 1 and the Efreet custom, the name of the Zeon mobile suit that Yuu was fighting. She explained that originally the EXAM system was to have a Newtype guide a Oldtype to victory, giving them some mental advice or to warn them of incoming attacks, a far cry to what the EXAM system was now and what Moses told the Federation what it could do when he defected to their side.

Unfortunately for her, an accident during a test run forced her into a coma and trapping her spirit within the EXAM system itself, thus turning the EXAM system from becoming a mere guide to giving an Oldtype the powers of a Newtype.

She then went on to explain that she was the reason that the EXAM was so unusable to so many people. Her attempts to beg people to free her had driven most to insanity, except for Yuu and the pilot of the Efreet custom's pilot, a Zeon ace named, Nimbus Schterzen. She then went on to beg Yuu to destroy the EXAM system so that she could finally be free from its imprisonment.

Shocked beyond belief, Yuu wanted to not believe her, that this was just a Zeon ploy, but he felt that she wasn't lying and that she was telling the truth. The full truth. Feeling that it was right to trust her, Yuu told her that he'll comply with her request and free her from the EXAM system.

Unfortunately for him, Schterzen didn't believe Marion and attack Yuu, disabling his suit by cutting off his legs and cutting off the Blue Destiny's head, thus cutting it off from the EXAM system. He was then about to destroy the Blue Destiny Unit 1 when a Dom came and informed him that the enemy had just taken another Base.

With that, Schterzen told Yuu that he was lucky before crushing the Blue Destiny's head and taking off with the Dom, finding it would be a waste of time to take Yuu's life.

Now stuck in his disabled suit, Yuu attempted to get out of his suit so that he can free Marion and take down Schterzen and the Zeons.

But after thirty minutes of trying, he gave up as he felt the air in his cockpit beginning to get stale.

" ***Laughs* Can't believe I'm going to die from a lack of oxygen. Seems like a lousy way to go."** Thought Yuu as he closed his eyes, accepting his fate. He then thought of his team and how they're going to be upset over his and Hose's death. " **Sorry guys, looks like I'm the first to go."** Yuu, ready to die, then shook as his suit was suddenly grabbed up, causing him to yell out in shock. He then looked at his cockpit and saw it glowing red.

Finding it hot, Yuu was gulped in fright as the door to his cockpit opened up, revealing a GM mobile suit.

"Ensign Yuu Kajima, are you fine?" Asked the GM pilot as Yuu, relieved to see a Federation mobile suit, contacted the GM pilot with his helmet's radio

"Yeah, I'm fine." Said Yuu as he looked at the GM from the ground. He then saw another GM was there. "I take it we won?"

"Not yet. The remaining enemy forces are trying to punch through our western flanks. We've been ordered to determine your status and the Blue Destiny. The sudden loss of your signal caused some concern among the higher brass."

"I can tell." Said Yuu. "Listen, my suit is disabled. Its worthless now. Have a salvage team come and take my suit off the battlefield."

"Understood. What's the status of your AI?" Asked the pilot.

"* **Sighs*** Disabled. I need someone to look into the systems and recover him." Said Yuu.

"Understood." Said the GM pilot before taking defensive positions with his partner. With the heated-up door, Yuu couldn't leave the cockpit of the Blue destiny without burning himself. So, the two mobile suits waited for either a retrieval team to arrive or for the metal too cool off, whichever came first. As he waited, Yuu looked at the controls of his mobile suit.

" **The EXAM system."** Thought Yuu. " **What are you not telling us, doctor?**

* * *

 **Midnight Fenrir**

* * *

"Watch out!" Yelled Matt as he saw Sophie being fired upon by a group of GMs. Though their bullets weren't able to penetrate a Dom's thick armor, they were just a distraction for several Type 61 tanks to line up their sights on her Dom and open fire.

Fortunately for the Midnight Fenrir pilot, she reacted quick enough that she dodged the tank shells effortlessly before opening fire on the tanks, wiping them all out. She then proceeded to get in close to the enemy GMs that fired on her in the first place, laughing all the way.

Seeing that she was fine, Matt looked to see Sandra taken out a GM with a well-placed rocket from her bazooka. She was about to reload the thing when a badly damaged GM, that is now deep in their lines, opened fired on her with its beam spray gun, taking out her Zaku's legs and sending it crashing to the ground.

Yelling out for Sandra, Matt then opened fire on the GM before it could open fire on another one of their suits, destroying it. Upon destroying the suit, Matt contacted Sandra, asking if she was fine.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Said Sandra as she lifted her Zaku up before reloading the thing. "Leave me behind Matt. I'll do what I can from here, but don't drag my Zaku around. The others need you to fight as hard as you can. And you can't do that with a Zaku on your back." Upon hearing that, Matt shook his head. No one is getting left behind. No body.

Once Schmitzer get given the order to abandon the base once the last shuttle was launched, everyone either took a mobile suit or got on a vehicle and went to the west, where the Federation presence was the weakest. It was also the place with multiple narrow canyons, thus giving them some manner of protection from the Federation's overwhelming numbers. With their most capable of fighters at the front, the Zeons charged, hoping to pierce the Federation line and escape with their lives.

Unfortunately, the enemy in the west still had over twenty mobile suits along with, at least, five times that amount in terms of tanks that were wrecking on their remaining mobile suits and tanks. For every mobile suit or tank they destroyed, the Federation destroyed three of theirs. It was only through the efforts of the Midnight Fenrir and Schterzen were the Zeon forces able to actually hold and not break and devolve into a panic retreat, especially those that were tending to the wounded. When one officer suggested that they should leave the wounded behind, Schmitzer knocked the man out and had him lumped into an APC that was sent to the front, which was probably a smoking wreck by now.

To Schmitzer leaving someone behind was unacceptable. He refused to let a broken down Dabude to be overwhelmed by the enemy during Odessa. He refused to be the first one out of Odessa when it was clear to the Zeons that they lost the territory. And he refused to leave the wounded behind. To him, it was the fault and sin of an officer to leave any of their soldiers behind just to save their own hide, no matter how useful or useless they were to the cause at the moment.

And that was something that Matt agreed. They had wounded with them, way at the back of all the mobile suits and tanks, so that they wouldn't be attack by the Federation. If the wounded were being escorted out, then they sure as hell won't leave a fully capable soldier behind as well.

Before he could argue with Sandra, Roher yelled out in the comms.

"Airstrike!" Yelled Roher before opening fire with his old Zaku II, having transferred from his damaged Gouf to the old Zaku in the last minute, taking down a new Federation fighter, the Jet Core Booster, a fighter developed from the Core booster sent to the White Base during Operation Odessa.

Unfortunately, he couldn't shoot enough of them before the Jet Core Boosters began to bombard the Zeon forces with bullets, missiles, and bombs.

Most focused on the Magella attack tanks, taking them down, while others targeted mobile suits, combining their missiles together in order to take down the massive humanoid weapons.

When they finished their attack, the Jet Core Booster quickly left the airspace. Just in time as an artillery barrage began to bombard them from the southern direction, where the enemy's Big trays were along with multiple artillery pieces.

"God damnit!" Yelled Roher as he endured the barrage. He then watched as several Magella tanks be destroyed when several artillery shells landed near or on top of them. "We need to break through now or none of us are getting out of here!"

"I'm on it!" Yelled Schterzen after dispatching a Type 61 tank that was about to fire on an APC filled with soldiers. "Just follow my lead!" Schterzen then charged at the weakest point of the Federation's lines, which was a narrow path where multiple enemy tanks were rolling out of the path and to the open fields where the Federation was fighting the Zeons for the last time in the California region.

Upon seeing Schterzen, the tanks opened fire.

Smirking, Schterzen, using the power of the EXAM system, managed to predict the pathways of the tank shells and made the necessary moves to dodge them all. Once their first barrage failed to hit the Efreet mobile suit, the tanks moved forward, intending to close the distance between them and the mobile suit, so they can eliminate its agility.

Unfortunately, the Efreet custom was a mobile suit that was designed with close combat in mind. Upon seeing the tanks getting closer, Schterzen smirked and used his thrusters to quickly close the gap between him and the tanks.

Now on top of them, the Efreet grabbed its remaining heat saber, having lost the other during its fight with the Blue Destiny Unit 1, and began to tear the tanks apart. The Efreet sliced open two tanks before the remaining four opened fire on it.

At this close range, not even the most powerful AI currently can dodge all the tank shells without suffering substantial damage to the mobile suit it was installed on, but the Efreet had something even better, the EXAM system.

Using the power of Marion Welch, the Efreet was able to predict where the enemy was going to fire, allowing Schterzen to dodge all the tank shells effortlessly by flying up just in time to avoid the tank shells.

With the threat now gone, the Efreet sent its heat saber into another tank and began to unleash havoc on the tanks again.

" **This is the power of the EXAM system!"** Thought Schterzen as he hacked and slashed the tanks. Once done, he began to radio the Zeon forces to move to his location, which they are doing with haste. **"No one, not even Char Aznable, is worthy of this power! I'm the only one worthy of using it! And I'm going to make sure that its creator will live to create another EXAM system."**

Upon arriving, Matt laid a hand on Schterzen's Efreet.

"Nice work, sir." Said Matt as friendly forces began to evacuate from the area, so they can live to fight another day. "Thanks to you, we can fight the tyrannical Federation another day."

Schterzen was about to comment on that when they were suddenly bombarded by beam, rocket, and artillery shells.

While Matt and Schterzen were fine, the back lines of the Zeon convoy, where the wounded were, got decimated.

"NO!" Yelled Matt as he saw multiple APCs carrying wounded were destroyed. He was about to run and help them when Schterzen held him back.

"No." Said Schterzen as his Efreet kept Matt's Zaku I in check. "You're just going to get yourself killed!"

Before Matt could protest, Schmitzer's voice rang out.

"All units! We're being attacked from the rear by an enemy warship! Don't stop and go back to help! Keep moving! Keep…" Matt and Schterzen then heard a massive explosion from Schmitzer's end. They then heard nothing but static.

Fearing the worst, Matt collapsed in shock, his Zaku I going to its knees.

Schmitzer was dead? It can't be. That man was a legend. He survived the battle of Loum, was part of the initial landing force that attacked Earth, and kept the team together through their toughest trials, like losing Hepner and Nikki. And now, the man was dead.

At first, Matt couldn't feel anything, but then he saw a ship that looked like the White Base coming at them with its weapon aimed at the Zeon convoy, destroying whatever it could find, and he suddenly felt rage.

"You goddamn bastards!" Yelled Matt as his Zaku got up and fired its bazooka at the White Base lookalike. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't close enough for his bazooka to do anything meaningful.

As he continued to fire his weapon in rage, Schterzen looked to see one Zaku II arriving to them while the rest of the convoy went through the canyon, eager to escape with their lives.

"Matt!" Yelled Roher as he saw his friend open fired on the White Base lookalike. "Now isn't the time for vengeance! We'll get revenge for Schmitzer later. We need to leave before the enemy reinforcements arrive!"

"I don't care! I want that ship dead now!" Yelled Matt, to caught up in his rage to care. Roher, though angry at Schmitzer's death as well, knew that they needed to leave. If not for Schmitzer, then for the people that needed their guidance.

He was about to grab Matt's Zaku I when he noticed the enemy ship launching mobile suits at them. To his horror, one of them was a Gundam lookalike as well.

The Gundam and two Guncannons landed just fifty meters from the trio of Zeon mobile suits. Upon seeing them, they opened fire.

"Get down!" Yelled Roher as he tackled Matt's Zaku I to the ground. Schterzen managed to dodge the shots to him, thanks to the EXAM system.

With their initial bombardment missing, the Federation mobile suits began to move away from the Zeon suits as they kept firing, creating more distance between them and the Zeon mobile suits.

"We need to go!" Yelled Roher as he picked Matt's Zaku up. "They're just the initial force! The main force will arrive here soon! And that's not counting the Federation forces still here!"

"Take him and go!" Yelled Schterzen as he fired back. 'I'll cover you!" Not having time to argue, Roher grabbed Matt's Zaku I and dragged it away from the enemy ship and mobile suits, much to Matt's protest. Schterzen used his various missile launchers to fend off the enemy mobile suits.

As they neared closer to the narrow path, they were suddenly bombarded by numerous rocket and tank shells. The Federation forces in the western flank had regrouped and were prepared to destroy the three remaining Zeon mobile suits in their sights.

Schterzen growled at this as he saw multiple Federation tanks and mobile suits began to surround. If he didn't do anything, they'll all be captured.

Smirking, Schterzen spoke on the comms.

"Get your guy out of here! I'm going to provide a distraction for you." Said Schterzen before cutting the comms off. With a yell, he charged at a group of Federation tanks and mobile suits, who open fired on him.

Using the EXAM at its full power, Schterzen dodged all the shots and began to destroy the enemy forces with ease.

Seeing the destructive potential of the Efreet, all the Federation forces began to focus on it, thus giving Roher and Matt the time they needed to escape.

After dispatching that group of Federation scum, Schterzen looked to see that he was surrounded with that Gundam from before appearing with its Guncannons.

Exhausted, but still willing to fight, Schterzen looked at all the enemies around him.

"Which one of you dies next?" Asked Schterzen through open comms, not caring in the slightest if they heard.

In response, the enemy forces opened fire.

Anticipating this, Schterzen tried to dodge all the beam and rockets shots, but the sheer amount of shots being fired at him meant that even the EXAM system couldn't predict or anticipate all the shots. Even if it could, Schterzen was too exhausted to be able to dodge them all. So, despite giving his best try, several beam shots, tank shells, and rockets managed to hit the Efreet's legs, taking them out, along with taking out an arm, sending the Zeon mobile suit to the ground.

Grunting as he crashed to the ground, Schterzen looked to see several enemy mobile suits moving cautiously at him. Smirking, Schterzen prepared the self-destruct system in his suit. A measurement in case the Federation managed to defeat him and wanted to capture his suit.

" **Not today, you earth scum."** Thought Schterzen before prepping the self-destruct system. As he prepped the self-destruct system, he thought of the EXAM system and its creator. **"Guess you're in luck, doctor. You get to live. But you'll die knowing that you just lost your one and only true test subject for the EXAM."** With that, Schterzen activated the self-destruct program, destroying him and his suit's EXAM system.

* * *

 **Agar**

* * *

"God damn. The pilot just killed himself." Said Leon as he saw the mobile suit self-destruct.

"Why in the hell would he do that?" Asked a GM pilot as she stepped back, shocked to see the enemy suit self-destruct.

"He's a fanatic. That's why." Said Chris as he looked at Agar. "You think we should pursue the enemy."

As much as Agar wanted to, he knew that general Marcus wanted California base secured first. The base was the true prize. Any Zeon forces they captured or destroyed were merely a bonus. Besides, the air force can take them out anyway. If they can't, they can always give them intel on their positions so they can send some troops to take them out.

"No, we have our orders. Let's go back to secure the last base." Said Agar before flying back to the Blanc Rival with Chris and Leon following soon.

* * *

 **Marcus**

* * *

"Sir, some enemy forces managed to elude us." Said Marcus's aide. "Should we send forces to pursue?" Marcus shook his head.

"No, just have the air force monitor them. To secure California base, we need all the men we have at our disposal. Its simply far too large for us to spare some men to attack the retreating Zeons." He then sighed. "Get some men to investigate all the bases. See if they can't dig up some intel from the computers in each base." The aide nodded before leaving Marcus to make a report on the situation in California Base.

With this base fallen, the Zeons have now lost their last true stronghold on Earth. Without any way to leave Earth, the Zeons left on Earth were stranded. Easy pickings for the Federation army, even if a good portion of their forces are being sent to space to help the Space force in taking the fight to the Zeon-controlled space.

The most significant battle on Earth was now over. Now all that was left was just mop-up operations. And Marcus was going to be some of the unlucky few to do such operations. Then again, he didn't join the military to just get the exciting missions. If the Federation wanted him to do these boring missions, then so be it.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

 **Warning. The next chapters will be mostly people talking and politics happening. If you seen the Clone Wars, you would know those boring Senate episodes that everyone had to endure. The next chapters will be like those. Yeah, that'll be fun.**

 **RoyalTwinFangs- It'll probably be delivered with the Full Armor version, but I think Amuro will ditch the extra armor. From what we've seen of his fighting style, he seems to prefer speed, like most other main character pilots, over high durability. I know the Wiki states the Nu gundam was built with Durability in mind, but it seems like it was built with no major reduction in speed, something the Full armor Alex Gundam would do.**

 **And yes, there will be a special Newtype hunting group in the future.**

 **RedRat8- We'll see. As for the Pale rider and why it wasn't mass produced, is that it wasn't introduced by the time Zeta Gundam was introduced.**

 **R reyes- While it would be awesome, I won't deny, I couldn't see getting Agar alone in fighting Schterzen, especially since I'm aiming for more team-oriented Federation that just fights with everything its got, not caring about honor in single combat.**

 **Moonreaper666- I can't do something as big as a nuclear missile violation or G3 gas violation, otherwise the other sides will not join the Federation. At best, we'll get Federation firing on retreating Zeon forces. At worst, minor war crimes committed by individuals.**

 **Besides, we'll deal with the corruption of the Federation later on, there's no need to include more motivations to fight the Federation.**

 **And I can't do the things you suggest as that'll just make the fights boringly one-sided, especially with the Federation's industrial capabilities. While I understand the idea and entertainment of seeing a single opponent destroy so many at once without a scratch, that's no what we're going for here.**

* * *

 **Federation 4** **th** **fleet**

 **White Base**

* * *

"God damnit!" Yelled Kai as he slumped on his controls. Across the hanger, he could hear Monsha laughing out loud in his GM. "I got taken out again!"

"Me too." Said Hayato, having been the first to be taken out in a simulated battle with everyone else.

It was something that the engineers of Jaburo had installed in their suits during their stay in Jaburo. Their mobile suits were now capable of full-combat simulations with each other. All they have to do is just link with each other and they can now fight each other in a simulated world, freeing them from the risk of getting hurt in a practiced fight in the real world.

Though the engineers claimed it was to help them with team cohesion, Kai felt like it was just an excuse to have pilots with grudges against each other to kill each other in a simulated battle. Or for experienced pilots to tramp newbies, which was what he currently felt it was like as he kept getting killed by the 4th Immortal team along with Hayato. To add insult to injury, they were the first to go, leaving Amuro to take out all four GMs by himself.

"Maybe we should ask Bright if they could get some AIs for you two." Said Amuro before having the simulated Gundam dodge an attack from Burning's simulated GM before firing a barrage of micro missiles at Burning. Currently, the sim was in space since that was where the war would now be in permeantly.

Upon seeing this, Burning had his GM used its vulcan guns to destroy the missiles while he dodged, giving Amuro the perfect chance to close in and destroy the GM.

Using his thrusters to the max, Amuro closed the distance between him and Burning and slashed the GM in two with his beam saber, taking Burning out of the simulated fight. Just as he did so, he quickly flew out of the way as a saber along with a beam spray round came at him from two different directions.

"Heh." Said Burning with a chuckle. "You got me good, Amuro. Frost, continue recording this battle. Both the Immortal 4th and Amuro's group may need to make some adjustments in order to perform better in the actual battlefield."

" **Affirmative, Burning."** Said Frost. With his AI still recording the fight, Burning decided to get a snack from the mess hall. As he got off his GM and walking to the mess hall level, he heard Monsha yelling out and complaining of being killed again, causing Kai to laugh and Burning to smirk.

Amuro was defiantly their top pilot right now. Maybe not in the same field as pilot aces, like Tenneth A. Jung or Lydo Wolf, but certainly a top tier pilot. With just a bit more training, Burning felt like Amuro will be up there with those aces, maybe even surpass them.

As he continued walking, eventually ending up in one of the White Base's many hallways, he encountered sergeant Carmine, the security officer in charge of security on the White Base.

"Sergeant." Said Burning, saluting the man, who saluted back.

"Lieutenant Burning, nice to see you." Said Carmine. "Going to catch a meal? Mind if I come with?" Burning shook his head.

"Not at all." Said Burning with that the two men began to walk to the mess hall. As they walked, Carmine looked at Burning.

"How is the White Base treating you?" Asked Carmine. "The teens aren't causing your men trouble?"

" ***Laughs*** If anything, its Monsha that's causing trouble for them." Said Burning with a chuckle. "Monsha is a good pilot, but, god damn, does he aggravate people a lot. I actually feel like he wants people to hate his guts."

"He does give the impression, especially to Bright. I've never seen that man go ballistic as he did to Monsha.' Said Carmine, remembering that huge slapping fest that Bright had when he heard of Monsha's actions with Chan and later Mirai. Burning nodded at that. "Anyway, we're going to side 6. Any family or friends stationed there?"

"Not really." Said Burning. "Most of my friends and remaining family are in Side 1. They're part of a lesser known colony, so they shouldn't be a target for the Zeons, not like those with production facilities." Carmine nodded, knowing full well the Zeons preference on destroying colonies capable of massive production, of either food or military equipment, so as to prevent the Federation from using them.

"What about you? Any family or friends?" Asked Burning.

"Yeah. My three brothers and four sisters along with our parents, cousins, and essentially everyone in my family." Said Carmine. Upon hearing that, Burning looked at Carmine in shock, particularly on how many siblings he had.

"You have seven siblings?" Asked Burning, completely shocked. Carmine just laughed at that, too used to that reaction.

"Yeah. Aside from my twin brother, Clayton, I'm the oldest of the bunch. My parents had us in intervals. I guess either my dad is really healthy, or my mom was very unlucky." Burning just shook his head at that.

"I'm thinking unfortunate." Said Burning. "The amount of money needed to such a big family."

"Heh tell me about it." Said Carmine. "There have been some money troubles in the past, when none of us were able to get jobs on account of our age. Had to use some hand-me-downs and save up whenever we could. Even a penny could make a difference. When Clay and I were old enough, my parents were overjoyed as we could now help them earn money for everyone else. Now, aside from my two youngest, we're all working and we haven't had a money problem since. At least, I hope so."

Burning nodded at that, still shocked at how many siblings the man next to him had. Being an only child, Burning never had the money troubles. His parents either served in the military or were a lawyer, both paid quite well. He didn't get to see them much, sure, but they lived relatively well.

"So, where do they work?" Asked Burning, after recovering from the shock, now curious on Carmine's family.

"Well, Clay, like me, is in the Federation military. Last I heard, he's serving with a Federation general by the name of Marcus. Last letter I got from him was that they were taking California base, hope he's fine. Anthony is in bootcamp with Benjamin going to apply for the Federation academy in our home colony next year." Burning raised an eyebrow at that.

"None of them are serving in the Side 1 defense force?" Asked Burning, a bit shocked to find all four brothers are going to serve in the Federation military and not the Side 1 defense force.

Usually, unless they were sick of their home and wanted to explore the solar system, patriotic about the Federation, most people from the colonies go to the defense force, wanting to protect their home Side exclusively. That and to keep taps on their families with no worry that they'll be transferred too far away from them.

"Yeah, guess you could say my family is full of Federation patriots. Dad served in the Federation navy, back when it was actually relevant. And mom was a pilot in the air force. They both loved their service to the Federation and I guess it stuck with their sons."

"None of your sisters going to apply for the Federation military?" Asked Burning.

"Nah. Much as mom and dad were disappointed that none of them are applying for service, they could understand. Not everyone wants to be in the Federation military." Explained Carmine, making Burning nod in agreement. "Anyway, Elizabeth is serving in the defense force, guess service is part of the blood now, huh." Burning chuckled at that.

"Felica is working as a waitress in a five-star hotel in our home colony. Gina and Heather aren't in any job, they both were born just a five years ago. And that's not counting all the cousins I have." Burning, having heard all that, whistled.

"Hot damn. I can see that the women in your group are more diverse than your men. They have different jobs that aren't in the military." Carmine just chuckled at that.

"If you've seen my cousin Franco, you would see differently. He runs a life insurance business on Side 6. He also complains about us joining the military, saying it just makes the Carmine men look like a bunch of meat heads and ruins his business." Burning laughed at that along with Carmine. After they stopped, Burning spoke.

"Quite a family. Hope you make it out of this war alive." Carmine nodded at that.

"You're not the only one. Want to see my little sister's grow up as fine young women. Maybe get a kid or two." Burning nodded at that, wanting to get kids with his own woman.

"I'll help keep everyone on the ship safe, I promise you that." Said Burning, placing a hand on Carmine's shoulder.

"I thank you for that. It kind of frustrating being ship security, you know. Unless the enemy boards the ship, there's not much for us security guys to do except man the gun turrets on our ships and pray that our ship doesn't blow up." Burning could see that and nodded.

"How do you deal with it?" Asked Burning, curious.

"Well, you see, you first need to…"

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Granada**

* * *

Kycilia was busy analyzing a map of the solar system with some of her officers. In it were known projections of Federation movements. They were all wondering where the Federation was going to do when an intelligence officer suddenly received a call.

"Are you sure?" Asked the officer after taking the call and hearing what the other person on the line wanted to say. "Very well, I'll tell lady Kycilia." With that, he ended the call and looked at Kycilia.

"Lady Kycilia, we have a situation." Said the officer.

"And what is it? Does it pertain to one of the Federation's fleets?" Asked Kycilia, taking her eyes from the map and to the intelligence officer.

"Yes ma'am." Said the officer. "Admiral Kowen of the Federation along with a small detachment of diplomats have been tasked with convincing Side 6 to join the Federation in the war. They'll be arriving in Side 6 territory within two weeks."

Kycilia frowned at hearing that news. If the Federation convinces Side 6 to join their side of the war, that could prove disastrous for Zeon.

While Side 6 had only extremely outdated Aegis cruisers and Lancer Corvettes with their newest ship, a 500 meter long battleship class, still being obsolete to even a Salamis cruiser in terms of power generation and acceleration, they were still a formidable force through sheer numbers. And since the Federation already outnumbered them, having more ships to fight was just begging for their forces to stretch thin to combat them all.

Even if they don't receive military support from Side 6, the Federation can still use the Side as a staging ground to launch attack against both Granada and Side 3. Most of their forces that weren't stationed on A Bao Qu, Granada, or Solomon were stationed in asteroid bases and fortresses defending key traveling routes that allowed efficient travel between Side 3 and Side 1 and 4. The reason was because Side 1 was the capital for the Federation in space, thus the people there were extremely supportive and patriotic to the Federation, thus necessitating them defending any travel routes from Side 1.

They hoped that, with Side 6's neutrality, they wouldn't need to defend those traveling routes. And for a time, they did. They even had fruitful trade with the Side, despite the fact that Zeon was the one that caused the one in the first place.

But after Odessa, and the release of news of Zeon attempting to launch a nuke on both Federation and Zeon forces, trade between the sides was stopped by order of the Side 6 council. Most of the council was furious at this violation of the Antarctic treaty, the fact that it was a restriction that the Zeons demanded be placed didn't help either.

This combined with rumors that Side 6 was in talks of rejoining the Federation, left many Zeon officers uneasy. If Side 6 rejoined the Federation, then the other Sides would no doubt join the Federation as well, thus leaving Zeon with no allies except the Jupiter fleet and they didn't give a damn about Zeon, just their money.

Needless to say, Side 6 must be prevented from joining the Federation, no matter the cost.

"Get me the ambassador of Side 6 and admiral Dozle." Ordered Kycilia.

* * *

 **Two weeks later**

 **Just outside Side 6 territory**

* * *

"Never thought I actually see those old things outside of a book or museum." Said Bright as he saw a Aegis cruiser coming up to the White Base with two Lancer corvettes at its sides.

The Aegis cruiser was the very first combat space vessel ever produced by the Federation government. After several failed ship designs, either because of lack of firepower or a lack of sufficient power generation, the blocky Aegis cruiser was given the greenlight to be the first ship to be mass produced by the Earth Federation space force. Shortly after it was created, the equally as blocky but also shaped as a long stick Lancer corvette was introduced to supplement it.

For a time, these two ships classes served the Federation well, protecting the Sides from pirate attacks and asteroid collisions, but as technology advanced, the two ships became obsolete.

Despite attempts by Federation scientists, the Aegis and Lancer Corvette were unable to field beam weaponry that was suitable for a ship of their size when Minovsky particles came to light. Their generators simply weren't capable of producing the output necessary to both fire a mega particle cannon and to provide power for the rest of the ship. As a result, the Magellan battleship and Salamis cruisers replaced the old ships, though they originally had shell-firing weapons due to cost reasons.

The last of the Aegis cruisers and Lancer corvettes were removed from the space force just a month before Bright joined the officer academy.

Despite them being retired from the Federation, the various Sides, bar Side 7 and 3, used the decades old ships in their space forces as they lacked the interest to produce capital ships of their own, finding it cheaper to buy old run-me-down ships from the Federation than to build a new ship from scratch. As a result, Sides 1, 2, 4, and 6 are the only ones that have these ships in their services with minor upgrades to keep them somewhat relevant in an age of beam weaponry and mobile suits.

"Indeed." Said Kowen, looking at the three ships as they inched closer to the White Base. "Eventually they'll be gone though. Even the Sides will eventually get rid of them, especially now that the age of mobile suit warfare has been introduced." Bright nodded before a transmission from the Aegis cruiser came.

"This is captain Stark of the cruiser Valiant. Federation vessel, you are the only ship permitted to enter Side 6 space at this time. The rest of your fleet must stay outside until stated otherwise. Please respond." Stated the captain of the Aegis Cruiser. Seeing that as his que, Kowen stepped up.

"Cruiser Valiant, this is fleet admiral Kowen of the Federation 4th fleet. We will dock the White Base in the capital colony of Side 6. The rest of the fleet will remain just beyond your borders." Said Kowen.

"Very good." Said Stark. "Have you brought your ambassadors with you?"

"Yes we have." Said Kowen. Attached to his fleet was Adenauer Paraya, a relatively new politician in the Federation government. When the politicians heard of Kowen's strategy, they sent the Paraya of foreign affairs to help with negotiations. The fact that they sent a new politician and not an experienced one just showed Kowen how little the Federation thought of this strategy of his.

They thought that his strategy was a time waster. That they didn't need more ships, especially not from the Sides. That kind of thinking just annoyed Kowen to no end. Why does humanity constantly make new prejudices against its own species? It did it with skin color. It did it with genders. It did it with one's own view on things. And now its if people were born in space or on Earth. It's frustrating to no end.

Kowen remembered all the ridicule he received from other Federation officers when he received his officer commendation and was stationed on Earth. They laughed at him. Made derogatory names behind his back. And he was held back from promotions to admiral several times during his careers. One officer even told him that they'd rather promote an Earth-born mentally impaired person then someone from the colonies as they know their loyalties.

If it wasn't for Revil coming in and vouching for him, thus starting their friendship, he would still be a commodore right now.

Despite all the things that he suffered, Kowen was still loyal to the Federation. Much as it was a corrupt and bureaucratic nightmare, it was still the best shot for humanity to survive in the space age. It just needed the right people in the right places to be the government that it promises to be. A government that united all of humanity under one banner. Plus, building a new government from scratch was extremely hard work. From what he heard of the U.S., they struggled initially with their government when it was in its infancy.

The Principality of Zeon was not the right way to do things. While he could completely understand the motivation of the Principality of Zeon for starting the war, humanity didn't need a monarchy type of government, especially if the ruling family was the Zabi family, known for their spacenoid supremacy thoughts and views. Even though the Federation is rightly accused of being earthnoid supremacist, they at least allow spacenoids in their ranks.

And that's not including the numerous war crimes done by the Zeons. Though the Federation certainly has a few under its bed, Kowen wasn't stupid, the Zeons were more pronounced with theirs' with the annihilation of Side 5 and the colony drop on Earth.

Sighing, Kowen wiped his forehead before thinking on the situation at hand. Enough about the Federation and Zeon for the moment. Now, he needed to focus on his mission of convincing Side 6 to join the Federation in the fight against Zeon.

Once the Side 6 ships were either on the sides of the White Base or in front of it, the four ships began to make their way to Side 6's capital colony.

They were halfway there when Sayla suddenly received a transmission.

"Captain Noa. Admiral Kowen. We have a situation." Said Sayla. When she saw both men were looking at her, she continued. "The fleet has spotted a small Zeon fleet arriving near the border of Side 6. They'll be in combat range of the fleet in ten minutes."

Upon hearing that, Kowen widened his eyes in shock.

"Are they coming to attack the fleet?" Asked Kowen. The Zeons couldn't be stupid enough to attack near Side 6's border. Although the 4th fleet was just outside the borders of Side 6, meaning they're technically not under the protection of Side 6's neutrality and thus free to be destroyed, Side 6's populace will still not like it and the attack of the Zeon fleet might cause them to convince to join the Federation.

"Negative. They're not in combat speeds it seems." Said Sayla, relaying the information she was getting. "The fleet was waiting for your orders, admiral." Kowen sighed before handing out his orders.

"Tell the fleet to keep an eye on the enemy fleet, but do not engage. Under no circumstances are they to open fire on the enemy unless they were fired upon first. We're not here to start a fight. We're here to conduct negotiations. If there's going to be a fight between Federation and Zeons near Side 6 territory, we won't be the ones that caused it." Sayla nodded at that, before relaying Kowen's orders to the entire fleet.

" **Why are they here? Could they know of our plan?"** Thought Kowen as Sayla relayed the orders. If they did, then they'll have to be careful around the Zeons. They may have try to sabotage their efforts.

* * *

 **Char**

 **Zanzibar cruiser**

* * *

" **Hm. Quite a large fleet the Federation brought for "peaceful" negotiations."** Thought Char as he saw the entire Federation 4th fleet gathered just outside the borders of Side 6. Totaling at around one hundred and seventy-five warships with enough supply ships to support them for quite a while, it would be foolish for the Zeons to attack as they only had one Zanzibar cruiser, seven Musai cruisers, and one Chivvay heavy cruiser. Even with his abilities as a Newtype and the experience their mobile suit pilots had, they'll still be annihilated by the Federation's superior numbers, not to mention the number of mobile suits they, no doubt, had.

Besides, they weren't here to attack the Federation. At least with weapons. They were here to prevent the Federation from gaining the allegiance of Side 6 in the war. If the Federation gained Side 6's allegiance, their already stretched thin forces will be stretched even further in protecting Granada, the pathways from Side 1, and, if the Federation succeeded, the pathways to Side 6.

That had to be stopped. Which was why they were here. The ambassador was currently in Side 6 and they were here to both protect him from Federation assassination and to, in case the negotiations go south, try to acquire the designation of the 4th fleet when they were done in Side 6.

As he looked at the fleet, he saw, to his displeasure, the Trojan Horse leaving the fleet and going to Side 6 with an escort of Side 6 ships. Despite there being multiple Trojan Horses now, Char can tell that was the very ship that has been plaguing his career since he encountered the ship back at Side 7.

Pursing his lips, Char ordered his lieutenant to radio in Conscon, the commander of the fleet.

Within a few seconds, Conscon's face appeared in a console nearby.

"What is it, Char?" Asked Conscon, his displeasure evident in his face. Char would have laughed if it didn't get him in trouble. Conscon was loyal to Dozle Zabi and the fact that he was working with some of Kycilia's men, including Char, must leave a distasteful taste in his mouth. More so because Char was here, who used to work for Dozle, only to be relieved of duty when he failed to protect Garma. Then there was the fact of his failed attack on Jaburo and how he was one of the first to leave Earth and to go back into space. That must be boiling Conscon's blood a bit.

"I've just spotted the Trojan Horse, commander." Said Char as he made his way to the console. "I know that there are multiple Pegasus class carriers in the Federation's navy now, I know for certain that it's the Trojan Horse, sir." Conscon pursed his lips at that.

"Well…that certainly complicated things." Said Conscon as he touched his chin. "While I love nothing more to destroy the ship that has plagued our nation's military for so long, we can't do anything I'm afraid. If we start a firefight, we're just going to make ourselves look bad."

Char nodded at that, completely agreeing with Conscon. Much as he also wanted to destroy the Trojan Horse, now was not the time for his want for vengeance. Now was the time to be smart and patient. Not like there wouldn't be more opportunities for him to destroy the Trojan Horse later on, anyway. Besides, there was someone in Side 6 that he needed to bring back to Side 3 or Granada. Someone that was very important to him.

"Sir, should we dock the Chivvay or the Zanzibar into Side 6's capital?" Asked Char, looking at the Commodore.

"The Zanzibar." Said Conscon. "I have to make sure my men don't do anything stupid or else we'll be giving Side 6 more excuses to join the Federation." Char nodded at that.

"I'll dock my ship on Side 6 as soon as possible, sir. As soon as I make contact with the ambassador, I'll contact you." Said Char before saluting. Conscon nodded before cutting communications. Once he did, Mulligan, Char's new lieutenant, went up to Char and saluted.

"Sir, a small fleet of Side 6 ships are approaching our fleet now." Said Mulligan.

"That'll be our escort, Mulligan. Inform them that we'll be docking our ship onto Side 6's capital." He then looked at his lieutenant. "As soon as we dock, ensure that the men are under control, especially if they see any Federation soldiers. We don't want to start an international incident."

"Of course, sir." Said Mulligan. "I'll only allow our most disciplined soldiers to leave the ship." Char nodded.

"Good. Hopefully, we'll be able to stop Side 6 from joining the Federation in this war." Said Char as they were contacted by the Side 6 fleet.

* * *

 **Side 6 capital**

 **Jacinto**

* * *

"Captain Bright, you're with me along with Mirai Yashima." Said Kowen as the White Base completed its docking procedures on Side 6. "We'll be heading to a hotel near the assembly building. That's where we're all staying for the duration of our stay on Side 6. So, I suppose you can consider this a shore leave for your crew."

"But not for me or my helmswoman." Said Bright as he looked at Kowen, who nodded.

"Of course. Sorry to say, captain, but I need you and Mirai's advice when it comes to Side 6. While Mr. Paraya is skilled and educated in the art of politics, he's relatively inexperienced and needs us to help him in the negotiations. Your crew can do what they want in Side 6, but they have to be at their best behavior. I don't want to hear that one of your crew entered a strip club or got into a fist fight with the locals."

"I understand, sir. I'll have my chief of security keep them under control." Said Bright. Kowen nodded at that.

"Good. Now let's go greet the Side 6 personal that came to greet us." Said Kowen before leaving with his guards, Bright following soon after.

After a few minutes, they acquired ambassador Paraya and left to meet the Side 6 group that was near their docking port, obviously here to discuss rules and regulations.

Upon spotting them, they quickly went over to them. One of the Side 6 representatives, a man with red hair and eyes, adjusted his glasses before speaking.

"Welcome back to Side 6, admiral Kowen." Said the man before bowing down. "While most of us hoped that you would end your service to the Federation and rejoin the Side 6 defense force, we still treat you as one of our own." Kowen laughed a bit at that.

"Thank you, but my loyalty is to the Federation, no matter how bleak the government can be." Said Kowen before bowing as well. "I would love to talk of this further, but we have a scheduled meeting with the Side 6 council in two days from now and me and my men would like to rest up and go over what we have to say to them in a comfortable location." The Side 6 representative nodded.

"Of course, forgive me." Said the man before holding out a briefcase and opening it, revealing a sheet of paper and a pen. "If you don't mind, we would like you to sign this. Its to indicate you won't use any sort of firearm within Side 6 as well as that you'll be on your best behavior while staying here. Any violation will result in sever reparations from us, including expunging you from Side 6."

Kowen nodded at that before signing it with ambassador Paraya. As they were signing, the red-haired man looked at their entourage and gasped out loud when he spotted Mirai.

"Mirai?" Asked the man. Upon hearing her name, Mirai looked at the man and gasped as well.

"Cameron?" Asked Mirai in shock. Everyone else just looked at either Mirai in Cameron with curiosity or surprise as the two starred at each other. After a few minutes, the two shook their heads before looking at each other.

Cameron smiled a bit before speaking.

"Mirai. I'm glad that your safe." Said Cameron. "We have much to talk about." Blinking, Mirai nodded.

"Yes, we do." Said Mirai, uncertainly. Sensing the uncomfortable aura around Mirai, Bright coughed.

"With respect, but can we move along?" Asked Bright with a respectful tone. Upon hearing that, Cameron nodded.

"Of course, forgive me." Said Cameron. "If you follow us, we'll lead you to the vehicle that'll take you to the hotel where you'll be staying in." With that Cameron and his group gave them some breathing room, staying near the elevator that'll take them in the cities of Side 6. Once they were alone, Kowen looked at Mirai.

"I assume you know that man, miss Mirai?" Asked Kowen. Mirai nodded at that.

"Yes, sir." Said Mirai. "He's Cameron Bloom. Son of Armando Bloom." Kowen nodded at that.

"Yes, a council member within the Side 6 council. And very powerful." Said Kowen. "Is he going to be a problem?"

"No." Said Mirai while shaking her head. "Cameron is a good man. A bit cowardly, but a good person at heart." Kowen nodded at that.

"Good." Said Kowen before looking at Bright. "Some of my men will be assisting in protecting the White Base. Just in case the Zeons decide to do anything against it or if the Side 6 personal decide to steal some of our secrets. It may be overkill with all the AIs on board, but when it comes to one of the most powerful warships in the Federation fleet, nothing is overkill." Bright nodded at that.

"I understand, sir." Said Bright. "Shall we proceed?" Kowen nodded before leaving with Paraya and Mirai to go meet with Cameron and his group. Bright was about to follow them when Carmine and Burning arrived. Upon seeing them, he looked at them.

"Ensure the crew doesn't do anything stupid while we're here, especially Monsha." Said Bright. "Remember, anything we do will be seen by the populace of Side 6 as an extension of the Federation. So make sure everyone is on their best behavior."

"Understood. I'll have my men make sure the teenagers and Monsha are on their best behavior." Said Carmine.

"And me and my team will make sure Monsha is also on his best behavior as well." Said Burning. Bright nodded at the two before going to where the other officers were. Once he was gone, the two men were looking at each other.

"You think we should knock Monsha out for the whole duration of this stay? Or should we tie him up and lock him in a closet in the White Base?" Asked Carmine.

"I say give him a chance, try to see if he'll actually be on his best behavior. If he doesn't, we tie him up and lock him up somewhere." Said Burning. Carmine nodded before they left to find the rest of the crew.

* * *

 **Half an hour later**

 **Zeon embassy**

* * *

"So, ambassador Grato, what's the situation here." Asked Char as he looked at Amalo Grato, the Zeon ambassador for Side 6. The short, but relatively handsome man, stroked his black hair before speaking.

"Well, its been difficult, captain." Said Grato as he looked over some of his papers, all of which contained notes of why joining the Federation was a bad idea. "Less than an eighth are still supportive of Zeon and staying neutral in this conflict. A forth is for supporting the Federation in this war in a noncombative role. And another eighth is for supporting them in a combative role. The rest are on the fence on which to support in this war, but many of them are leaning toward supporting the Federation. I've been doing what I can, but… its been difficult."

"This does seem hard." Said Char with a hum. "Do you have a strong argument for them supporting Zeon or at least staying neutral?"

"I don't know." Said Grato as he held his head. "Many of them are quite upset with us. I fear that, no matter what we say, they'll support the Federation in the end."

"Don't worry about that ambassador." Said Char, reassuring the ambassador. "I'm sure they can be convinced to reconsider their thoughts of rejoining the Federation and aiding them militarily. We just need to look at all avenues to convince them. Let me see what you have. Perhaps I can be of some help."

Whether it was because he believed it wouldn't hurt or because he wanted to humor the captain, Grato gave Char his papers, which he then began to examine. After a long examination of the papers and double-checking them, Char looked at the ambassador.

"With respect, sir, I don't think this is sufficient to convince the Side 6 council to not side with the Federation. Not unless the Federation has a weak argument against us." Said Char. Grato looked offended at that.

"I suppose you have a better alternative?" Asked Grato, offended that a captain of the military was telling him what to do in his job. Char just nodded.

"I believe we can make it even better. For one, how about we convince them the economic problems with siding with the Federation and how it can ruin them." Char then went on to talk about all the various ways they can convince the side 6 council. After the first two subjects, Grato listened intently.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Amuro**

* * *

"Is this everything, mister Tamura?" Asked Amuro as he, Kai, and Hayato carried the bags of food that Tamura had brought from a Side 6 supermarket. The man had brought them along to help him carry food that he can use during their time in Side 6 and for when they get back out into the field. The military did provide them with good rations, but Tamura felt like they were awful compared to fresh ingredients from a supermarket.

"For now." Said Tamura as he carried four bags of fresh ingredients from Side 6. "I'm planning on coming back here tomorrow. We are staying here for that long, right?"

"I believe so." Said Hayato. "These negotiations can take a while, right?"

"I don't care so long as I don't get shot up by the Zeons while we're here." Said Kai as he carried his bags. "Should have brought more people with you, Tamura."

"Well I would have, but the others are either busy checking out what wonders Side 6 can provide or are busy taking care of our ship." Said Tamura.

"Then why the hell did you drag us out from our mobile suits, man!" Yelled Kai. "I was busy going over my battle scores!" Before the two men could argue, Amuro spotted a spot of blue hair. Thinking it was Chan or even her sister, she did claim that she had blue hair like her, Amuro looked back at where he spotted the hair and gasped. Just across the streets was his dad, in a brown jacket and carrying a bag of food.

After rubbing his eyes to make sure they weren't tricking him, he looked back to see his dad was indeed there, checking a phone.

"Amuro, you okay?" Asked Hayato as he spotted Amuro gapping at someone. Looking at where he was gaping, Hayato spotted, to his shock, Amuro's dad, Tem Ray. "Your dad is here!?" Upon hearing that, Kai looked at Hayato.

"What?" Asked Kai before looking at the same direction as Amuro and Hayato and widened his eyes in shock. He tried to convince himself that it was someone else, but the resemblance to Tem Ray was uncanny to be a coincidence. "But how? Wasn't he…"

"I don't know." Said Amuro, completely stunned beyond belief that his dad was here. "But I need to find out why he's here." He then looked at mister Tamura. "Sir, forgive me, but I need to…" Tamura interuupted Amuro with a nod.

"Go son, we can handle your bags." Said Tamura with a small smile. Thanking Tamura, Amuro apologized again before giving Kai and Hayato his bags, something that Kai complained as he was carrying too many now, and taking off for his dad, who was now leaving the market area.

"Amuro sure is lucky." Said Hayato with a hint of jealously. "Both his parents are alive."

"Yeah." Agreed Kai, happy that Amuro had both his parents, though he was confused on one thing. "But why did his dad not with the Federation military and is here on Side 6? You think he would have asked to be transferred to the White Base as soon as he heard it was safe. If not for his son, then for the Gundam." Hayato was about to make an argument but stopped when he realize Kai was right. Something was off.

"Yeah. I got a bad feeling, Kai." Said Hayato with Kai nodding in agreement.

* * *

 **Few minutes later**

 **Scrapyard**

* * *

" **This is where dad lives?"** Thought Amuro in stunned silence as he looked around a scrapyard, filled with old and broken-down electronics and vehicles. On the edges of the Scrapyard was a relatively old two-story house that his dad was now entering. He knew that his dad didn't care much on where he lived, so long as it was acceptable enough for him to work peacefully, but he thought he didn't think he would live near a scrapyard, where people process or melt down old materials into new metal products. The noise would have distracted him from working.

Nonetheless, he walked to the house and knocked on the door. After a few minutes, the door opened, revealing Amuro's dad. Upon seeing him up close, Amuro could tell that this was his father. There were simply too many features that were his that were present in this man for him to be a fake.

Upon seeing Amuro, the man widened his eyes in slight surprise and shock.

"Amuro." Said Tem Ray in his usual monotone voice to his son. "I…didn't expect you to see you again." Long used to his voice, Amuro began to tear up.

"Neither did I, dad." Said Amuro as he looked at his dad, happy to see him alive and well. "I thought that you died on Side 7 when the Zeons attacked."

"Oh that." Said Tem, as if not caring that he was declared dead by the Federation. "Well, come inside and I'll explain." With that, he allowed his son to enter his home and he took his upstairs to his studies. Upon entering, Amuro saw that there was something on a large desk filled with diagrams and papers. To his shock, the diagrams were filled with pictures of the original Gundam and various equations. Once they were inside, Tem explained what happened back at Side 7.

"You see, during the fighting on Side 7, I was sucked out into space after an explosion ruptured Side 7's hull." Explained Tem as he sat in front of the desk. He then began to fiddle with the device on the desk. As he got closer, Amuro looked at the diagrams of the Gundam and frowned. The equations on the diagrams were all wrong. They all talked about various upgrades and improvements that could be done to the Gundam that just weren't physically possible. The Gundam simply couldn't handle the upgrades that the equations spoke of. Plus, that math on some of them were off by a large degree.

"Unfortunately, my helmet's broke on my way out of Side 7. I was slowly losing oxygen." Said Tem Ray as he finished with the device. He then gave it to Amuro. "Fortunately, a Side 6 patrol found me and brought me back to Side 6, and I've been staying here ever since, working on ways to improve the Gundam, making it even more deadly then anyone can ever dream." He then looked at Amuro with unfocused eyes. "Take it. I made from the remains of a Zaku here in this scrapyard. It should improve the Gundam's power exponentially. It'll even increase the processing power of the Gundam's AI too." Blinking in shock, Amuro took the device and inspected it.

" **This is…it's a piece of junk."** Thought Amuro as he examined the device. It looked like it was made from the old remains of an old car or tank, not from a mobile suit. Before he could tell his dad, the man went back to his diagrams, mumbling about creating an even better device. Seeing that his father was lost in his mind, Amuro quickly said good bye and left the house. As soon as he was gone, he looked at the device and threw it on the ground.

" **Dad. What happened to you?"** Thought Amuro as tears began to form in his eyes.

* * *

 **White Base**

 **Chan**

* * *

"So," Started Chan as she and Sayla were busy checking comm center 4 for any deficiencies. Al and Isaac would have helped, but it was a minor fix and they were busy with maintaining the various mobile suits the White Base had. Seeing it was a simply fix, Chan asked Sayla for some assistance, which the blond agreed, seeing it was something that can pass the time. "Have any family in Side 6?"

"No." Said Sayla. "I'm afraid that what family I had died during the war. I'm the last of the Mass family, I'm afraid."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Said Chan as she found the bug and went to work fixing it. "I lost my grandparents in Side 5, lost during the battle of Loum. Their colony was destroyed by Zeon nuclear missiles." Sayla stopped what she was doing, feeling sorrow for Chan and anger at her nation, before looking at Chan.

"And you don't hate the Zeons for that?" Asked Sayla, despite already knowing the answer.

"Like I said before at Belfast, I hate the Zeon government for what they did to my home, and I'm sure a lot of former Side 5 refugees feel the same way as well, but I know that I can't blame every Zeon for the atrocity done there. It's not fair to the citizens nor the children that have been born after that." Sayla nodded in agreement. Chan was a good person. She, like most of the crew, seemed to understand that not everyone on Side 3 was a monster as depicted in Federation propaganda. The fact that she was from Side 5 proved that she had a conscious and knew who to really blame. The Zabis and the higher-ups in the military.

They were the ones responsible for everything. They were responsible for starting this war. And they were the ones that are tarnishing her father's good name, using him as a way to incite war for their own selfish gains. And she was going to stop them from tarnishing his name anymore.

"That's good to hear, Chan." Said Sayla with a smile. "Its good to know that you don't hate every Side 3 citizen for what the government did." Chan looked at Sayla with a confused looked before nodding.

"Why are you concerned with how I feel about Side 3? You have friends there?" Asked Chan, curious. Sayla cursed in her mind before coming up with an explanation.

"You see, for some time in my youth I was on Side 5 in the colony Texas." Said Sayla. "My father wanted his children to experience the wonders of space, so he took us to a little estate that he had on Texas. It was there that we encountered a family whose son would become a Zeon soldier." Sayla purposely left out the fact that the son was named Char Aznable, the Red comet. One because it would create some unnecessary drama that Sayla didn't want to deal with. And two because she secretly suspected that the Red Comet was actually her brother, Casval Deikun.

"Really?" Asked Chan in surprise. "So, a Side 5 inhabitant became a Zeon soldier? And he's still in the Zeon military? After what they did to Side 5?"

"I'm not sure." Said Sayla, truthfully as she was sure that the Char she knew from her childhood would most likely defect to the Federation after what the Zeons did to Side 5. "But encountering him told me that not every soldier is a monster. They're just naïve people that just want what's best for their nation."

"I can see that. Charlie and Sam think that the Federation is a paragon of good and justice, even though you and I know that isn't the case." Said Chan with Sayla nodding in agreement.

"The naivety of children." Said Sayla with Chan nodding in agreement.

"Yeah. Kind of cute, though." Said Chan before finally fixing the issue. "Alright, it's done now. I can finish up here, you want to go to explore what Side 6 has to offer?"

"Of course." Said Sayla. "I heard Side 6 has some things that you can't get in the other Sides."

"You're right on that." Said Chan as she began a system checkup. "My sister acquired sent some chocolates from Side 6. Richest chocolates I've ever eaten. I think they sell them in the capital only. Quite expensive."

"I'll ask around for it. Maybe send some your way." Said Sayla.

"I'll be your best friend forever if you did." Said Chan as she analyzed comm center's circuits. Sayla smiled at that before taking off. When she did, Fulcrum made his appearance in the comm center's speakers.

" **If could have fixed this for you, madam."** Said Fulcrum, keeping in a jovial, but subservient, tone. **"The problem was a software problem. There was no need for you to do this yourself."**

"I know, but it helps keep me distracted. I don't really have an interest to go explore Side 6 yet." Said Chan as she finished and looked at the speakers.

" **But don't you have a sister located in Side 6?"** Asked Fulcrum, remembering that was mentioned in her file.

"Yes, but she's a nurse in a hospital. I don't want to intrude on her just yet. I'll visit her later on." Said Chan. "Alright, I'm done here. I guess I should go shopping or something. Can you tell Isaac or Al that I'm leaving?"

" **Of course miss Chan!"** Said Fulcrum. " **I'll inform them now."**

Nodding in thanks, Chan left to go get a spare uniform in her room. After sometime of walking to her room and changing, she was out of the White Base and walking to the elevator that'll lead her to Side 6. She pressed the button that'll call the elevator to her floor. As she waited, she wondered how everyone else was doing.

" **Some are probably eating to their heart's content in various restaurants in Side 6. Others are going over their strategy in convincing Side 6 to join the Federation. And the rest are probably just wasting their money in arcades."** Thought Chan. **"Hmm…maybe I should ask Amuro for a date here?"**

As she was wondering what to do, the doors to the elevator suddenly opened, revealing Amuro with blood shot eyes.

Upon seeing his eyes, she widened her eyes in shock.

"Amuro, what happened?" Asked Chan as she went to her boyfriend and held him after he got out of the elevator.

"Its…its my dad. He's alive." Said Amuro, looking Chan with teary eyes. Widening her eyes in shock, Chan was about to congratulate Amuro when she saw that he was crying from sadness, not happiness.

"What happened?' Asked Chan in a comforting tone. Upon seeing him looking at the ground, she escorted Amuro to the White Base. "Let's talk in my room. I feel like you need someone to talk to." Nodding, Amuro allowed Chan to escort him back to the White Base.

* * *

 **Hotel**

 **Kowen**

* * *

"Do you need any advice from me, ambassador Paraya?" Asked Mirai as she saw Paraya going over his notes and papers. She noted that he was extra jumpy, likely from nervousness. "I know a thing or two about diplomacy."

"Not necessary." Said Paraya, looking at Mirai with a nervous smile. "Though I wouldn't mind if you give me a thing or two about keeping calm." Mirai nodded at that before telling Paraya how to keep calm under the stares of dozens, maybe hundreds, of other politicians.

As she was doing this, Kowen and Bright were watching them, sipping some water.

"Do you think we can rely on him, admiral?" Asked Bright as he looked at his superior. Kowen nodded.

"I looked at his file." Said Kowen. "He's young and inexperienced, but he's talented in politics. Got a degree in the field. We just need to help him detect the subtle tells that politicians give and to keep him calm under pressure, and we'll be good." Kowen then frowned. "That is if the Zeons won't try to sabotage our efforts."

"You'll think they'll do such a thing, sir?" Asked Bright, looking at Kowen in surprise. Kowen nodded.

"Of course, you don't know the Zabis, Bright. They're all snakes. One moment they'll be all friendly with you and the next they'll put a knife in your neck the moment that they sense that they'll get something of interest from it." Said Kowen, remembering the few times he encountered the Zabis, back when Side 3 was the Republic of Zeon. Back when Zeon Zum Deikun was in charge. He was just a commodore then, but he remembered the stares of Degwin and his oldest son, Gihren Zabi. They looked impassive, but Kowen could see through them.

While on the surface, their stares were impassive, on the inside they told the greed both men had. How they despised him for being in the Federation while being a spacenoid. They believed that spacenoids were superior to earthnoids and that those from Earth weaken the human race, something that Kowen saw as stupid and a true weakness of humanity. The lack of tolerance.

And with the war, they continued their stance on spacenoid superiority, although reports from spies tell them that it was mostly Gihren that is espousing such things. Degwin hasn't been seen doing much for quite sometime, strangely enough. He's still alive, but hasn't been taking much of an effort in the war effort as he used to.

Whatever was going on in Side 3 was irrelevant right now, what is relevant was that Kowen was certain that the Zabis will try to sabotage their efforts here. It would make military sense as well. Side 6 was on the opposite side of the Principality. If they get Side 6 to join, even as a passive ally, they'll be able to attack Side 3 in another front, stretching their forces to the breaking point.

"So, keep an eye on the Zeon diplomacy group, Bright." Said Kowen. "You never know with the Zeons." Bright nodded before the two went back to seeing Mirai teaching Paraya with the more advanced lessons on diplomacy. They were watching Mirai teaching him how to keep under pressure when Bright received a call.

"What is it?" Asked Bright as he picked up a radio.

"Sir, we have a Side 6 official here." Said a guard just outside their room. "He's asking to speak to you. Should I let him in?" Bright looked at Kowen, who nodded.

"Let him in." Said Bright before ending the call. He let go of the radio just as the door opened, revealing Cameron.

"Thank you for letting me in." Said Cameron, bowing in respect. "I'm here to inform you that the assigned meeting will happen in two hours. I'll be escorting you to the assembly building within one."

"Good." Said Bright. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes." Said Cameron before coughing. "I wish to speak to my fiancé, Mirai Yashima."

Upon hearing that, everyone looked at Cameron in surprise.

"Mirai is your fiancé?" Asked Bright in shock. Kowen widened his eyes a bit at that. Cameron nodded at that.

"Yes, we were to be married on the day the war started." Explained Cameron. "It was an arranged marriage, but…there were genuine feelings between us. I haven't seen my fiancé since the war began, so may I speak to her?"

Bright just looked at Mirai, who sighed and walked up to Cameron.

"Very well, Cameron. Let's find someplace to speak in private." Said Mirai. Smiling at that, Cameron thanked Mirai before leaving with her. Once they were gone, Bright looked at Kowen.

"Did you know about this marriage, sir?" Asked Bright. Kowen shook his head. He was too busy with the war to care about arranged marriages between high ranking families.

"I do." Said ambassador Paraya as he got up. Upon seeing the two military men look at him, Paraya explained. "Sometime before the war, I'd say maybe four weeks prior to the official declaration, Shu Yashima and Armando Bloom had arranged for their children to marry, to increase the power and prestige of both families."

"And their wedding was crashed by the war?" Asked Bright, despite knowing the answer. Paraya nodded.

"Yes. That and along with Shu Yashima's death." Said Paraya with a hint of sorrow. Kowen closed his eyes in respect.

Shu Yashima's death was a tragic lost. The man had been killed when the starship carrying him suddenly exploded. Investigations of what happened were stopped when the war broke out and they'll likely never uncover what happened as any evidence would have been gone a long time ago.

"Hmm…do you think they'll resume?" Asked Bright.

"I don't know." Said Paraya as he scratched his head. "The Yashima family's reputation and influence diminished with the death of Shu Yashima. If the marriage was done with only the aim of increasing the power of the Bloom family, they'll call it off. Since they didn't, I can only assume that the marriage will still happen." Paraya then sighed. "I apologize, but can we go over what we have? I'd like to make a strong first impression." Kowen and Bright nodded at that and helped Paraya with going over his material.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 **Mirai**

* * *

" ***Sighs*** **I should have known that we would meet again."** Thought Mirai as she looked at Cameron coming back with two cups of coffee. As he was coming back, Mirai thought of their arranged marriage and how they became so estranged from each other.

The marriage initially was done because her father wanted to have more influence within Side 6 and Armando Bloom wanted to have more influence in the Earth sphere beyond Side 6. So a wedding was done between their children to get what they desired.

At first, the two were embarrassed, but did what they were told as the knew that, deep down, their fathers simply wanted what was best for the Federation, even if it was at the expense of their children. But later on, the two fell in love. Well, Cameron did. Mirai, while she respected him and his interest in politics, couldn't see herself with Cameron. He was a bit too cowardly for her tastes. Still, she had no choice in the matter.

Eventually, the two agreed to marry each other willingly, something that both of their fathers were pleasantly surprised to find out. It seemed that everything will work out in the end. But then her father died and, to make matters worse, the war started. Mirai didn't see Cameron again after the war started. She initially thought that he died in all the fighting, but it seems that she was wrong.

While she was glad that he was still alive, she was unsure of how she felt about him right now. She did love him at some point, but now she wasn't sure. The fact that he was in Side 6, all safe and cozy, while she was out in Side 7, trying to escape the war and grieving for her father, stung her. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Cameron came and gave her a cup of coffee.

"Here you go, Mirai. Its your favorite." Said Cameron as he sat down.

"Thank you." Said Mirai as she sipped her coffee. After taking a big sip, she looked at Cameron. "So, what exactly happened, Cameron? I didn't see you after my father's funeral." Cameron sighed at that before explaining.

"After the funeral, I could see that you were still grieving for your father. So, I convinced my father to hold off the wedding until you fully recovered from your father's death." Explained Cameron, looking at his coffee. "It took a while, but he did as I requested and we left you along in your grief." Upon hearing that, Mirai looked offended to hear that.

"You left me to grieve for my father alone?" Asked Mirai, infuriated. "I was miserable for months, Cameron, and you told your father to leave me alone in my grief? When I needed support?" Cameron lowered his head in shame at that.

"I thought it was the right course of actions, Mirai." Said Cameron. "I only realized my error when you went missing. When the war started." He then sighed. "Despite most Riah Republic citizens preferring to enlist in the Side 6 defense force, a handful of our citizens were in the Federation military when the war began. Most of which were in Revil's fleet during the battle of Loum." Mirai winced at that, knowing just how many Federation lives were lost at that battle.

"It was a mess." Said Cameron. "So many applied for grieving counseling. Some of which were within the Side 6 council." He then wiped his head. "Seeing my father and so many others comforting the people grieving, supporting them, made me realize that I made a terrible mistake with you Mirai. I'm sorry." Upon hearing that, Mirai calmed down.

"Cameron." Said Mirai, but was interrupted by Cameron speaking.

"That's why I hired out countless private contractors to find you. I paid considerable sums to find you. My father protested it, but I didn't care. I needed to find you. To correct my mistake." Said Cameron. While touched to hear that he spent so much to find her, Mirai was slightly offended to hear that he only sent people to find her and not himself.

"Why didn't you find me yourself?" Asked Mirai. "If you truly love me, you should have tried to find me yourself."

"I wanted to, Mirai, I really did." Said Cameron, looking at Mirai with determined eyes. Upon seeing them, Mirai realize he was speaking the truth. "But my duties to the republics, prevented me from doing so." Sighing upon hearing that, she spoke up.

"Alright, then what else do you have mind?" Asked Mirai. "Do you…still want to get married?" Cameron sighed at that.

"That's actually what I wanted to speak to you about." Said Cameron, clenching his cup hard, something that Mirai noticed. "My father, he still wants to have more prestige in the Federation government. Initially he wanted me to remarry to a noblewoman in the Principality of Zeon, but upon the Federation victory at Odessa and how the Zeons attempted to violate the Antarctic treaty, he wants me to marry someone with ties to the Federation government." Mirai could see where this was going and sighed.

"And you want that to be me?" Asked Mirai, a little disappointed that Cameron still wanted her hand in marriage after so long. To her surprise, Cameron chuckled.

"Perhaps if the Yashima family still had the influence it once did under Shu Yashima." Said Cameron. "My father is intending to marry me to another family, one with closer ties to the Federation council. I put it off, though, begging my father to wait until Mirai came back. And you did." He then looked back at his cup of coffee, seeing his reflection.

"I'm going to be serious with you, Mirai. I love. I've loved you since the moment I realized that I felt for you. And I still love you." Said Cameron before sighing. "But I know that you don't love me. You don't want to start a family with me or to live a life with me as your husband. I'm right, aren't I?" Even though he hit it right in the mark, Mirai sighed, knowing her next sentence will hurt him.

"Yes." Said Mirai. "I only agreed to the marriage because of my father. I'm sorry, Cameron, but I don't love you." Cameron bowed his head at that.

"I thought as much." Said Cameron. "Back when you didn't come to me when Shu died." He then sighed, trying hard to prevent the tears from flowing. "I'll respect your decision, Mirai. I just hope that you'll find love. I know that I'll be happy with you marry someone, not because of the request of family, but from your heart."

"You still can too, Cameron." Said Mirai, placing a hand on his two hands. "You just need to let go of your love for me." Cameron looked at Mirai and saw her pretty face. Doubting that he could ever love someone as he did Mirai, he only shook his head.

"I very much doubt that I can find someone as lovely as you Mirai, but I will try." Said Cameron. "For your sake." Sighing at that, Mirai looked at Cameron as he sipped his coffee. After taking a large gulp, he looked at his watch.

"We should go to the assembly building; the meeting will soon start." Said Cameron before getting up with Mirai following.

"Who do you think will win the allegiance of the Riah Republics, Cameron?" Asked Mirai as they both got out of the coffee shop.

"I don't know, Mirai." Said Cameron as they walked. "What I know is, that whoever can gain the allegiance of Side 6, will gain the allegiance of all the remaining neutral sides.

* * *

 **Side 6 assembly building**

 **Bright**

* * *

" **Here we are."** Thought Bright as he, along with Kowen and Paraya, sat in the small table that they were given in the grand room that the Side 6 council did their day to day business.

It was quite grand, build similarly to the Federation's own assembly building in Dakar. They were looking outward to a wide arrange of seats that represented each colony under the jurisdiction of the Riah Republics. Some of them were filled, their representatives looking at the Federation envoy with either suspicion or caution, while others were currently being filled by their occupants before Bright's eyes.

Looking sideways, just across from them on the right, Bright could see the Zeon diplomat, patiently waiting for the meeting to start. His relaxed stance was a far cry from Parayas'. Even from Bright's own position, he could see Paraya's legs shaking in fright. Silently thanking the Side 6 council for giving them a table that covered their legs, Bright could see the last of the seats being filled up.

"Its starting." Whispered Kowen. Just like that, a speaker of the house went to stage and spoke.

"The meeting regarding the Riah Republic's stance on the war between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon will now commence. Ambassador Grato, you may start." With that the speaker left the stage and to the sides, waiting for his time to speak again.

With the speaker done, the Zeon ambassador began his argument. The battle for Side 6's allegiance had begun.


End file.
